


Lux Stellarum

by Lkcsi



Series: Radiant Stars [11]
Category: Tales of Vesperia
Genre: Anal Sex, Biting, First Dates, First Time, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Frottage, M/M, Morning After, Morning Sex, Rimming, courting, flynn spends the entire fic being horny and yuri's lol-ing at it, flynn tops yuri bottoms, smut at chapters 6 and 7, the party ships them so hard it kinda hurts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:48:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 34,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26158315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lkcsi/pseuds/Lkcsi
Summary: Yuri is playing hard to get, but it's not like he doesn't have his reasons not to hook up with Flynn. Now, Flynn has to court Yuri to prove he doesn't mind him at his side.
Relationships: Flynn Scifo/Yuri Lowell
Series: Radiant Stars [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1737949
Comments: 11
Kudos: 55





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Note: There are only very slight, but perhaps noticeable, departures from canon in this fic, but they are not character-based. Sorry this came much later than I intended, too. Crestoria demanded so much of me, and I got a job!

Brave Vesperia barely just got off of Tarqaron, downright exhausted from their fight with Duke, when Flynn approached Yuri, the hope and love in his heart serving as a source of energy and the first real conversation with Duke stuffed at the back of his mind. He would tackle that later on, but the more pressing matter was his lovelife. It was so pressing that, in fact, the only other thing he did before beelining to Yuri was quickly shedding the bulkier parts of his armor.

Yuri had been slumped on the bed, boots kicked off and useless blastia partially tucked under his pillow, inside one of the Fiertia's below-deck rooms—Yuri's room—almost at the point of nodding off when Flynn knocked and opened the door. With the threat of Duke and the Adephagos out of the way, the former agreeing on a new world and the latter destroyed, he actually was hoping to pry an answer out of Yuri, knowing that it would be a resounding 'yes' anyway, as he'd judged from the way he returned his two tender _loving_ kisses the night before. He was, in many senses of the word (including unwholesome senses), excited. Flynn clutched the edge of the door with shaky hands and reddened cheeks and a heart that skipped a few beats as Yuri drowsily let him in and allowed himself a few more minutes of waking time to speak with Flynn. From the foot of the bed, Repede gave a small huff at his other human and put his head back down to rest.

"What?" Yuri rubbed his eyes and looked up at Flynn, who shrugged.

"Came here to ask you how good my chances are to get you and also to ask how I can raise those chances."

"You literally went right after Tarqaron to pester me. Why am I surprised." Yuri yawned, wearily stretching as he felt the thin mattress beside him dip under the knight's weight.

"How will I be able to convince you, Yuri?" He immediately pleaded, and he briefly wondered whether an onlooker would judge this scene as too melodramatic. Yuri had already told him the night before that he needed time to think, time to decide whether it was worth it, never mind that for the sake of love it _was._ Anything and everything was worth the heart of Yuri Lowell.

"How 'bout you do a few things to convince me to be your boyfriend? I like you, but there's a lot of things I still doubt," Yuri had said with a sleepy and fake smirk, "and I want to know if the Commandant," he'd placed much emphasis on his title, which had caused him to flinch for a little while, "truly wants me, an undeserving criminal, by his side as his lover."

_He's saying he's just that? A criminal?_ "You... demand some things of me to show you I love you? That you deserve me, just as I deserve you?" He gawked, dumbfounded. Hesitatingly he reached to place his hand over Yuri's, caressing sore palm and wrist. "Yuri... I thought we got over this last night."

"No. I still have some doubts." In spite of the drowsiness his words carried his iron will. It was a given of life, that such long-standing thoughts persisted like weeds. It couldn't all be fixed in the span of one night.

_Was that what Yuri wanted? Assurance?_ "Yuri, I promise you won't. A relationship between us really won't tarnish my name, or-or, hell, it wouldn't even leave a scratch." Flynn looked down and traced the visible vein from his arm through his wrist and down to the ring finger. He paused, imagining a metal band, stamped with Flynn's new initials on the inside, adorning the base of it. "I know it wouldn't. I assure you."

"How would you know?" Yuri's soft, hoarse voice pulled him out of his wishful thinking.

"I told you. Your past doesn't affect my respect and adoration for you. Your background is the same as mine. I love you as the person you are. Isn't that enough? I wouldn't care, since _I_ have done so many great things because of you."

Yuri sighed and slouched forwards, taking his hand from Flynn and then wiping his whole face with it. "What would others think? The nobles?"

"When have you started caring about what nobles think?"

"Ever since you became Commandant- sorry, _Acting_ Commandant, and then confessed your feelings for me."

"So what do you want me to do? Do I have to show everyone you aren’t... that you aren't a lowlife? What would convince you, my love?"

"Cut that 'my love' thing out, that's so weird. You sound like you're a shitty romance novel character." He glowered at him, his glare laced with a threat, but Flynn pressed on.

"... how about 'sweetheart'? What do you think?"

If Yuri rolled his eyes more, they would tumble out of the sockets of his eyes. "Okay, if you're going to be so persistent about it, you know what? Let's try it out. Let's both assume no one will object to our relationship. I want _better_ pet names. Flowers, serenades. All that jazz, like we're just normal people," he said nigh-silently, like he was sharing a secret. It was surprising to Flynn, as well.

"You're not the romantic type, and I-" _I thought you wanted something more substantial than just that._

"I know, I know, but a man has his fantasies. I just want to know if you really want me with you." 

"I do really wa-"

"Speaking of, my fantasy right now is to go the fuck to sleep. Duke is by far one of the people I've fought that gave me the hardest time."

"Right, right," Flynn hurriedly stood up, clearing his throat as Yuri rolled back on the bed.

"What, you're not gonna join me on the only time you might be in bed with me?"

Flynn flushed. "N-no. I... I don't..."

"Come on. Cuddling isn't just romantic you know. We used to do this when we were kids." He patted the mattress just on front of him, causing the other to gasp.

"I-I shouldn't! A bed is _intimate_ and that changes th- _ah!"_ He yelped when Yuri bolted upright in less than a blink of an eye and tugged Flynn down back on his bed. It caused the sleeping dog to wake back up and whine, especially when an arm snaked under Flynn's neck and the other was unceremoniously plonked over his side, making Flynn squirm. Repede adjusted, making his way to the space behind Yuri and curling up there.

"I'm sorry, Repede, but Flynn's a prude." Yuri turned back to Flynn and murmured, "You're a prude," then shutting his eyes when he knocked his forehead against Flynn's. He wedged his leg between Flynn's own, just like he used to do when they were much younger, although the, ahem, the somewhat _erect enthusiasm_ against his thigh was new.

Flynn had to choke back the pleased whimper threatening to tear out of his chest, and thankfully Yuri wasn't interested in stoking the flames. He prayed to the newborn spirits that the universe grant him some mercy, but aside from Yuri adjusting his leg so that it no longer rested _there_ , there was almost nothing. Yuri served to make his embarrassment worse, though.

"I retract my previous statement. You're no prude. You're a pervert."

"This is why I said I shouldn't!" That was to say, _I_ am _a pervert._

"A prude _and_ a pervert at the same time. Interesting combination."

"I'm sorry, I can't h-help- Yuri, don't assault my nose." He pouted at the two fingers that clipped his nose, and when they unlatched from that abused part of his face, Yuri pinched his cheeks.

"You will have to wait 'til I say yes for you to fuck me, is that clear?"

Flynn gulped down. _Why did he have to say it that way?!_ "Of course. I respect your boundaries. I'm just. Oh good hell." He couldn't blurt out the fact that his body was acting on its own, but his cheeks turning apple red conveyed the message.

"Eh, doesn't matter, I want you here. I just survived the end of the world and I want my best friend beside me." Yuri yawned once more, appearing uncaring of Flynn's thoughts on the matter. "Jus' stay here... frr now..."

Whatever protest bubbling out died down when Yuri breathed in and out deeply, his whole body going slack. Quite instantly Yuri's breathing evened out as sleep settled all over him. Amused, Flynn scooted closer (painstakingly avoiding the touch of Yuri's body on his nether regions) and landed a small kiss on the tip of his nose. Yuri stirred.

"Yuri?"

He didn't respond. Flynn couldn't help the grin pulling on his face. Yuri did always fall asleep so readily after an exhausting day, whether it be a petty fight with him or an operation in the knights. He still liked this particular position, too: the two of them facing each other, tired legs tangled together, and arms thrown over each other. Flynn shyly put his hand on the curve of Yuri's waist.

_How would he like spooning?_

The thought of Yuri's body pressed flush against him shortly warmed his cheeks once more. He still wouldn't be able to find out soon, anyway.

Not until Yuri was satisfied. Not until whatever fantasy Yuri had been thinking up for the past give or take six or seven years was fulfilled. Not until then.

Flynn would would woo him to be his lover, and quash those fears. Fears of not truly being his equal, of Flynn being looked down on by the elite, of Yuri's past colliding with Flynn's reputation, that he'd confessed the night before storming Tarqaron, and he would convince Yuri and he'd finally hear that 'yes', no matter the cost.

The more time he spent on Yuri's bed, the drowsier he became, and so he let his eyes close and allowed himself to fall asleep for the next two hours or so. He wouldn't be able to enjoy this luxury for a while.

/**/

"Yuri!" Raven called out, rubbing his sore back. Duke may be older than he was, but for the love of _everything_ why was he blessed with an elbow lunge so powerful he thought his spine shattered? Raven sighed. He survived Desier, and then Baction. Would have been pathetic to have died to the world's deadliest elbow. "Youngsters these days. First, Rita yells at me to look fer Flynn, then Flynn's _missin'_!" He stumbled to Yuri's door and knocked impatiently. "Yoohoo. Yuri. You see Flynn?"

Moments went by, and no answer from inside.

"Yuri? Still alive?" He twisted the knob, peered inside, found two bodies tangled together, looked away, and closed the door as quietly as he could. He tiptoed backwards, and once safely away from the room, he bolted to the communal lounge just before reaching the deck.

"So?" Rita looked up from her journal, the bags under her eyes starting to form and her eyes themselves bloodshot. Everyone was there, somewhat awake, but Karol and Patty were already nodding off. Even Estelle had dark circles under her eyes.

"So?" Raven talked back.

"Where's Flynn?"

"He's sleepin' with Yuri," he said. The information took some time to sink in, but when it did, Patty woke up briefly and gaped, Judith chuckled, and Estelle transformed into a human-shaped tomato.

Judith spoke first, still smiling. "They're doing it already?"

"EW!" Rita exclaimed loudly, even going as far as to aim to throw her pen at Raven.

"Hey!" Raven somehow swatted the pen away from his face, despite how groggy he was feeling and how painful his spine was. "They aren't, they're actually sleepin'! Ya could see it fer yourselves!"

"You really shouldn't say things like that _like that_ , old man!"

"How else was I supposed to say it?!"

"I don't know, something more innocent and wholesome?!"

"Rita," Estelle interrupted, "he _did_ say 'sleeping'." It rendered Rita somewhat speechless, and she was about to retort with something about Raven's essential fishiness when Judith interrupted her.

"Why don't we just check them out?" Judith said, sly smile on her face pointed at Rita. "That way we really would know for sure?"

And so the rest of the group (minus Karol, who had completely fallen asleep) tiptoed as quietly as they could to Yuri's little room and cracked the door open. One by one they peeked inside, Estelle half-screaming into her palms in her swooning.

"Oh good spirits!" Estelle squeaked out giddily when they made it back to their communal lounge. "They're so cute!"

"Kinda makes me jealous, really." Raven shrugged to himself. "Wish I could cuddle with someone."

"Yeah, because you're fishy and hopeless," Rita snapped. "If only there was someone out there who likes you romantically."

"Way to hurt my feelings..."


	2. Chapter 2

More than a week had passed since the Adephagos' obliteration and Duke's defeat when Flynn found the time to go for a walk and set out to the Public Quarter to scout for flower shops to hopefully buy a suitable bouquet for Yuri as his first (second, technically, if one counts the last kiss they shared a few nights ago) act of courting him. Balancing his personal life was difficult with the onslaught of work, with the Knights having to do double the work with the blastia gone, but he wouldn't be Flynn Scifo if he hadn't found a way to get even just a few hours to himself. Just three hours, and if he were not back by lunchtime, Sodia would track him down and drag him back to his office, bouquet or no bouquet.

The first shop he found was one close to the Noble Quarter but not as fancy as those ones from the Noble Quarter, those ones with their own flower gardens. Despite this shop not being as rich as those from uphill, the flowers on display were large bouquets to the point they could be arrangements for a fairly big table.

The bell above the door dinged when he opened the door, and the proprietress sitting on a chair off to the left immediately perked up, her eyes light with recognition, especially that he still had his armor and sword.

"Captain Flynn! What brings you to our shop? How may I help you?"

"I'm looking for a bouquet of flowers to gift to someone special to me." When her brow raised for the shortest of moments, he mused to himself whether rumors would spread.

"Of course! What kind are you looking for?"

"Something simple but elegant, and perhaps small..." He looked around, pursing his lips in thought at the smallest bouquet just by the door. In all seriousness, the smallest was not very small—it was too extravagant with all the roses and chrysanthemums stacked together in green paper. "Perhaps something even smaller than this..."

"Oh, I'm sorry, but these are pre-arranged, and I don't have the power to make special arrangements..."

"It's fine, please do not worry. Thank you for your honesty." He left the shop, and set on to find another.

The next one failed, too. There was a small bouquet, but it hadn't been suitable for a love confession to Yuri. It was fit more for a bridesmaid than Yuri.

The third one was a kiosk near the Public Quarter's plaza, and that was when he found the small figure of Karol scuttling nearby, a bag bursting at the seams with chocolates and a paper rose. Karol spotted him and waved.

"Flynn!" Karol approached, all smiles. "What's up?"

"Hey, Karol. I'm just looking around for flowers."

"What for?"

"Something nice for Yuri."

Karol let out a small 'huh' in thought before saying, "Oh! Right, I forgot Yuri's birthday is coming up! But why flowers?"

There were only two answers to that: either divulge to Karol the nature of their budding relationship or keep it vague. Eventually he chose the latter. It would be somewhat embarrassing if his mission for Yuri's hand failed. "It's just something new between us. I thought he and I could celebrate."

It made Karol raise a brow, but he brushed it off. "Sure, okay. But you know how Yuri doesn't like fancy stuff, right?" Karol said.

"That is my problem, actually. I've visited a few shops, and I keep getting put off by how highly priced they are, but I don't want to be a penny pincher, too. He has to feel I put a lot of thought into it." He turned to the boy. "How about you? What's up?" He gestured towards the bag with the droopy paper rose and obvious boxes of chocolate.

Somehow, the young boy started to blush so hard. "N-nothing! None of your concern. Just- I'm just shopping for supplies. B-Brave Vesperia's supplies. Yeah, supplies. For the guild. For our trip later to Aurnion. Yeah. The guild. Food and stuff for the guild. Not for Na- me. Nuh-uh."

Unfortunately for Karol, Flynn could see right through the nervousness and lies. He couldn't be more obvious, especially with the bag of chocolates in his hand. "Those chocolates, are you giving them to Yuri?"

"NO!" Karol yelped, a little too loudly for public decency. A few looks were thrown their way before they moved on. "Sorry, I mean, I'm not buying Yuri birthday chocolates. I forgot, remember?! And I don't, like, I don't _like_ him! Ew."

Flynn chuckled heartily. "Of course. I was only teasing."

"You're like Yuri," the younger one grumbled. "Why do you guys love teasing me?"

"Does he tease you so much?"

"He does!" Karol pouted. "When I was out hunting an eggbear last year, you know what he did? He roared behind me and scared me! And that's not counting that time he snuck a spider in my shirt! My back itched for hours because the spider bit me!"

Flynn laughed while imagining Yuri's face of mischief, much to Karol's chagrin.

"You're so mean like Yuri! But I guess he's a lot meaner than you."

"Oh, Karol. Trust me when I say this. Yuri was _worse_ when we were kids. He stuffed a pillow with apples one time, before we had a pillow fight. That hurt. And it turned out that the apples were stolen from a Noble Quarter orchard."

"Oh my god!"

"I was black and blue all over and he was laughing at me. Then we had a fistfight. Then we had to run because the Knights found us." He smiled fondly at the memory, despite it being a memory full of anger and blood on their lips. "There are more. If I'm not taking part in his plans, I'm the one he pranks. It wasn't funny then, but it is now."

"You guys really have a strong friendship, don't you?" Karol muttered. "Wonder if I can have a strong bond with someone, too..."

"Hmm?"

"No! Nothing, I swear."

"I think I heard you asking how you can form a strong friendship with someone."

"Well, I-I mean... it's not... you and Yuri are so close even after you two fought a lot recently. It's like you guys won't get separated at all. But I have this, um, _friend_ I had for a long time since I was still in the Hunting Blades, but I guess she doesn't like me."

"Why would your friend not like you, Karol?"

"Well, I'm probably still not strong enough for her and she doesn't like it when I'm not. She fights me when I try to fight monsters. But I can fight! It just doesn't feel right if she doesn't see how strong I've become!"

_Karol has a crush_ , Flynn thought to himself. "Ah, I see. I think I had the same feelings for Yuri, too, back when we were still quarrelling the past year. I didn't feel nice when I thought he hated me."

"After you guys would fight, he was always, you know, brooding."

"'Brooding'?" The thought of Yuri actually _brooding_ in a corner of the Fiertia in the dead of night after one of their clashes was somehow funny to him. "Why would you say brooding?"

"He sulks a lot and doesn't talk much when he's on his own. He also thinks a lot. That's brooding, right?"

"Haha, I suppose so. He has that habit. When he's mad, he doesn't talk. As for you and your friend," he paused for a moment when Karol turned redder than before, "don't be so worried about her thinking you as weak, because you're actually very strong, Karol."

"Really?"

He nodded. "I've seen you fight. Although you could work on a few more things, you've felled so many monsters and even helped us defeat the Adephagos, which is the ultimate monster, isn't it?"

"Yeah!" His eyes beamed bright, clearly encouraged. "I'm actually kinda strong! And I'm going to be even stronger!"

"And I think you could show her your devotion to that. Perhaps she would come around, then."

His advice took some time for Karol to process, but once he realized what he meant, Karol grinned. "You're right! You're really smart and great, Flynn. Not like Yuri. He just teased me more when I asked him for help."

"I'm happy to hear that I have helped you even just a little."

Karol left soon after some more idle talk about guild happenings, and when he left, Flynn found his eyes trailing on the paper rose drooping out of one of Karol's bags.

Then a genius idea, a most wonderfully genius one struck him. One he and Yuri had used before to get by when gald was tight and stomachs growled in hunger.

Helping others with their problems really did solve his own problem.

Flynn immediately went straight to a stationery shop instead of a flower shop, and returned to his office armed with multicolored sheaves of paper and a book on the art of folding paper flowers.

/**/

Three days and three nights of using up his free time for those damned flowers, and finally, the twelve flowers were done. Twelve bright red roses with cutout leaves attached to its stems. It all felt like intense labor to him, his hands unfit for dexterity with his thick fingers used to gripping swords and carrying heavy loads. Who would have thought that the act of folding and gluing paper into certain shapes would cause his hands to shake? That never happened when he was younger. And why did he think folding twelve paper roses was a good idea?

Oh, right, it was because he was in love.

The things one does for love.

Flynn bound the twelve stems together in thin pink paper printed with a pattern of diamonds, and then attached a band of striking red to serve as its 'ribbon', completing the bouquet. Then he studied the finished product. He twirled it around, imagining Yuri's reaction when he'd see the bouquet.

Would he smile? Would he blush? Would his heart beat wildly at the sight of his hard work?

The ticking of the clock was the only sound in his room as he looked over his work. He'd done his best. He would even say that the roses looked like actual roses, albeit lacking the scent and the thorns. Perhaps the bouquet didn't look _professional_ , but all his love was poured into making them, and that was what counted, right?

Someone knocked on his door, and once Flynn gave his permission, Sodia showed herself in.

"Sir," she saluted, "I apologize for disturbing your tea hour, but I had just received an urgent request from the Schwann Brigade stationed in Aurnion."

"Sodia, you know you shouldn't excuse yourself for disturbing me for matters concerning my duty."

"I know, but you do deserve your rest, sir." She marched forward and thrust a clipboard at him. "They are requesting more supplies. With the blastia gone and higher mana healing artes still under development, they still are struggling to expand the city's reaches for self-sustaining agriculture due to debilitating injuries."

"Would you also know how progress is on higher mana healing artes?" He asked as he placed the paper bouquet down on the bed and peered at the report, written by no other than Leblanc. The edges were wrinkled.

"Last I heard, sir, Aspian mages have devised ways to replicate the Cure and Healing Circle artes, but they are currently at a roadblock. It seems that, since mana is much more potent than aer, the Cure mana arte overheals and causes tumor growths in random parts of the body. So far benign, but may become problematic."

"I see. I hope they find a way around that." He stood up to go to his desk and pulled out a drawer full of tablets of black wax, then he dropped one piece of wax onto a tiny holder hanging on top of a candle. He set the report down at a safe distance before reaching for the box of matches and striking one match to light the wick. "I also see that Leblanc wrote this report only this early morning."

"Brave Vesperia transported it to me, sir."

"Oh, Yuri is here." A most happy smile wormed its way on his face.

"He was the one who handed it to me."

"Makes sense. The paper is wrinkled. Typical of him," he said as he watched the black wax melt in the basin. "Sodia. Forgive me if this is too selfish a question. The bouquet I made for Yuri," he gestured to it with his shoulder, "does it look passable?"

Sodia wordlessly picked it up to judge it.

"Please be honest," Flynn added. When the wax was finally completely melted he blew the candle's flame and then poured the wax onto the paper. He reached for his seal stamp, but dropped it for a moment because of his still-shaky fingers. He finally got it and stamped his seal on the wax. However, when he already affixed his signature over affirmation, Sodia still hadn't spoken a word.

"Sodia? Is anything wrong?" He glanced to her direction and found her still mulling over the flowers. "If it looks bad, please don't hesitate to let me know. I want it to be perfect."

She still stood there, frozen.

"Sodia?"

It snapped her out of whatever trance she was in, and she instantly stumbled for words. "Ah, s-sir. It looks fantastic."

"Are you alright?"

She waved her hand around, as casually as it was even in the presence of her commanding officer, but Flynn wasn’t the type to wag a finger over it. "N-no. I was just thinking up a hypothetical scenario of how I would react to such a gift."

"Oh. I see."

"You are... you are an amazing person, Captain. I know you love Yuri Lowell so much that you have made him this... and I think it's a unique gesture. Were- I want to ask, were you going to confess, sir?"

He breathed out with a thin grin. "I already did, before we went to Tarqaron."

"Ahh..."

"Suffice to say that he still wants to test the waters. I wish to prove to him it will be worth his while, being with me. I thought some flowers would be a good idea."

"It- it is, sir."

Her stuttering caught his attention, and he noted the sullen look of her eyes despite the poker face, and so he wondered.

Did she like him? Was it a mistake to ask her that, and to make known to her his affections?

If so, how should he have reacted?

"Sir, I admit I do not know Yuri Lowell as well as you do, but I know that most if not all would love gifts like this."

"I'm glad you think that, Sodia," he carefully said. "When he comes to visit, I plan to give it to him."

She didn't comment on it further. "Shall I send for the requested resources then?"

"Yes, yes." He blew on the wax to cool it further and finally handed the formal request back to her. "I want the requested supplies delivered as soon as possible."

"Right."

"If there is anything more later during the rehearsals, do not hesitate to interrupt. My duty comes first before formalities."

"I will, sir." She strode out stiffly, and once alone, Flynn stashed the bouquet inside his closet, taking care not to wrinkle it.

Perhaps tonight, after his rehearsals, he would meet Yuri and present him the gift.

/**/

The rehearsals for the coronation ceremony at the end of the month went smoothly, with most of the programme done and security detail ironed out more. It was admittedly a slow day, and once it was all done, Flynn headed to his bedroom for a well-earned night of rest.

When he pushed the doors open, though, he was greeted with the sight of the window wide open, of the lamp already aflame, of a bright blue scarf tossed on his bed, and of Yuri sitting on his chair, hunched over his desk with his wax drawer emptied of its contents. The hexagonal tablets of wax had been sorted on his desk to make some sort of mosaic art. All of his black tablets were there, with the yellow and red ones occupying some spaces in the middle to resemble a smiley face with hearts as eyes.

Yuri looked up to the door, obviously startled by the noise, but smirked when he saw Flynn.

"You're finally here. Always making me wait."

Flynn locked the door. "I'm sorry, but if you had just gone through the front door, you would have seen me." He began taking off his armor, starting with his gauntlets and armored gloves.

"And disturb your rehearsals? Heck no."

"You know you're always welcome here."

"It's no fun to just waltz in. I'm used to sneaking in and scaring the shit out of everyone. I was a little early though, so look," he pointed to his wax tablet art with his thumb, "I developed a new hobby."

"It does look nice." Flynn grinned at the heart eyes. "It's a shame we have to put them back."

"Hey, as long as you have that fancy wax seal thingies, I can make 'em every time."

"I like your little gifts," he said with all sincerity in his tone. "How are you, Yuri? I heard you delivered Leblanc's report here."

Yuri just shrugged. "He asked nicely, so we took it here. And I think your lieutenant's getting whatever he asked for into the Fiertia, and we're going back to Aurnion later tonight. Thought I should drop by first, see how you're doing." Faint pink dusted his cheeks, and Flynn suspected it was more that just seeing how he was.

"Thank you for helping us. I will see to it that Brave Vesperia is reimbursed accordingly."

Yuri made a small noise that was his way of saying, 'don't think about it'. 

"But I mean it, Yuri."

"It was _volunteer_ work."

"Okay, so not reimbursement, but perhaps some tokens of appreciation?"

"Ask the boss. We might only come back here in two weeks, though."

"Will you stay here on your birthday?" 

"I'll be staying."

"Let's go on a date on your birthday. Can we do that?"

Yuri raised a brow. "Isn't the coronation happening a day after my birthday?"

"Well, yeah."

"You'll probably have a lot of rehearsals that day. Final stuff. We could just go on a date after that, when you aren't busy. And you're seriously going to make this public?"

"We'll go on a date at night. And, again, I don't have any problems with us going public if we ever get together officially."

"You're awfully pushy."

"I want your birthday to be special. Come on."

A sigh of exasperation. "Let me think about it."

"When you decide to do it... meet me here, same time?"

"Sure, why not." He shrugged, even as Flynn grinned happily. "How was the rehearsals? Do you have to get smacked on the shoulders by Ioder?"

"Rehearsals were fine, but boring. And I won't get _smacked_ , Yuri. I'll just get tapped a bit on the shoulders by a ceremonial sword, and a new one at that, seeing as Dein Nomos is officially missing."

"Heh, but we all know where it is."

"With Duke."

"Yeah."

He pondered on Duke, and the last conversation he had with him.

_"I made a vow to my friend that I would protect this world."_

Flynn was sure he had been following the (admittedly extremely tense) conversation with the embittered hero, the one whom the Empire had betrayed after all of his service, until Judith had opened her mouth to utter a name that threw the entirety of his focus off.

_"Elucifer..."_

With that one single word, Flynn had been briefly thrown back to a dark space between two rundown buildings in the Lower Quarter. Tears had been running down from his eyes as he helplessly held his best friend, a deadly wound on the latter's leg. And then just a little while later, a miracle–a hooded man, likely a knight, and his Krityan friend. One hooded knight with an air of nobility whose name he had never heard and...

_"You can call me Elucifer."_

The one who had healed Yuri and brought him back to life a decade or so ago, he recalled, had had silver-white hair much like his, but the healer had been shrouded in a hood, and he couldn't trust his memory too much.

_Had Duke Pantarei been the one who'd healed Yuri in the past?_

"Flynn? You still there?" Yuri had already stood up, and he pinched Flynn's _cute_ nose.

"Oh. Sorry. I was just thinking."

"Thinking about Zaude? You thinking about Zaude always makes you space out like this."

"No. It wasn't Zaude." He sighed sadly, the phantom aches of his heart tugging again. "But I'm thinking of it now."

Yuri pursed his lips. "C'mere." He opened his arms out for Flynn, and Flynn answered that with a close and tender embrace. He breathed him in as Yuri rubbed his tired back, and had to hold back tears as the memories of how he felt while he was missing came forward and ebbed away. He tried to think about the warmth of his body pressed so close with Yuri's, so unlike other times they had hugged in the past.

He buried his face into the crook of his neck and choked back a sob. "Yuri..."

"There, there. Don't think about it."

"It's a little difficult," he admitted, earning him more pats on his back.

"Fluffy kittens. Teeny tiny kitties playing with Repede."

He forced himself to imagine the dog, so large and strong, lay his head down and allow small, barely one month old cat children crawl all over him. "Very cute."

"And, you know, Flynn, I gained a bit of weight while I was gone. Got some more pudge on my sides. You should feel it."

If that was his way of diverting his thoughts, it was effective. As Flynn hugged Yuri, he felt he had gotten a bit less thin, unlike that day he almost crushed him after he rescued him, his knights, and the refugees. He had been very thin, after weeks with only mild healing artes and broth to sustain him. Flynn's hands travelled to the sides of his abdomen and pinched lightly.

"Yeah. You've gotten a bit fatter..."

"Progress, right?"

"But you have to eat your fruits and veggies."

"Ugh. As if Judy and Karol would ever neglect that. Karol would tie me up and Judy would probably resort to force feeding me egg white."

Flynn chuckled, his mind moving on from thoughts about the incident in Zaude and towards the mental image of Yuri in bondage. _How sexy that is._ "Why egg white?"

"Don't know. Supposedly it's got all the nutrients. That's what the doc said. I think I hate egg white now."

"Shall I cook you scrambled eggs from now on?"

"Evil spirits manifest whenever you enter a kitchen, Flynn."

"You wound me," he said in a playful tone, mocking offense.

"But you know what, even if you feed me goop, I'd eat it. Have you ever seen me reject anything you make me?"

Flynn shook his head no. "Even if other people gag at my food, you still clean your plate."

"Maybe I just have feelings for you."

He snickered, and then leaned in to place a little kiss on Yuri's lips. "I love you."

But Yuri didn't reply back with his own declaration of love. Instead he replied, "You do."

That reminded Flynn he still had to pass whatever test Yuri had in mind, which in turn also reminded him of the paper flowers in his closet. He finally disentangled himself from their embrace and went to his closet.

"Yuri, I have something to give to you."

"Oh?"

Flynn pullled the bouquet out of its hiding place and brandished it in front of Yuri, whose jaw dropped to the floor. "Ta-da."

"Flowers..."

"Yeah. Paper flowers." He handed them to Yuri, who took it gingerly. "I made them myself."

"You folded them." His entire face became redder and redder while he inspected it. "You made this for me."

"Mhmm. You like it?"

"It's... pretty," Yuri murmured, and Flynn could jump in joy. His Yuri was speechless.

"I'm glad you like it."

"Why paper?"

"I thought you wouldn't like the real ones. Expensive, fancy, and they wilt. We also used to do this when we were kids." He wanted to babble further about how he valued their long-standing friendship, but he kept his mouth shut about that.

Yuri bit his lip as he smiled more. "Never thought you would do this." His knees felt weak and he almost tumbled backwards were it not for Flynn holding him. He looked back up to Flynn's eyes. "You're really making me fall more for you, aren't you."

"I said I'd do anything to convince you to be with me. I hope I could do that before my official oath to office."

"You gave yourself a deadline, huh."

"I would like to have you soon, honestly."

"Are you really okay with this? With me?"

"Yes."

Yuri turned his face away, biting his lip and furrowing his brows together.

"I know you have issues seeing yourself with me-"

"I just... don't deserve you."

_Here you are again._ "Yuri... I love you, and I know you love me back. I would be so happy to be with you. Wouldn't you be, too?"

"I... don't really know..."

"Please. I want you. I've fallen in love with you because you are my best friend. You were the light that illuminated my way when I was lost. You helped me grow." He closed his eyes and kissed his mouth as lovingly as he could.

Yuri was silent for a long, long while, his mind cycling through every word Flynn had said. Flynn watched him ponder on it, eyelashes fluttering as dark orbs sparkled in moonlight. Having him so close to his body in the privacy of night, the warmth of love pulled at the strings of his heart, and he was overcome with the urge to kiss him once more and hopefully, through that kiss, obliterate the feelings of being undeserving still lingering within Yuri. 

A moment passed and he couldn't resist the temptations for longer. Flynn cupped his cheek and moved to kiss him. The hand on Yuri's face moved to push the strands of his hair behind his ear. Even while surprised, Yuri kissed back, his grip on the bouquet loosening until they fell from his fingers. His hands roamed Flynn's back as he was maneuvered towards the bed, and had to break away when he felt himself fall on soft sheets. There was hardly any reprieve before they began kissing again. 

Flynn was rapidly becoming ravenous, devouring Yuri's mouth with flicks of tongue and presses of lips, positioning his body between Yuri's legs. He planted his elbows on either side of his lover's body, trapping him under his own weight. They stayed there until he finally allowed his hands to rise and gently splay the flaps of his shirt apart. 

Fingers ghosting over the skin of his chest caused Yuri to mewl, and Flynn greedily drank it down. They parted, but the blond instantly latched on his neck and began suckling on his pulse, and that was the moment Yuri gasped out loud.

"Oh yes... Flynn... more..."

He removed his lips off his neck and gazed at him, pupils blown wide and eyes half-lidded. "I think you'd really like it here," Flynn said in a tone of voice Yuri didn't expect to hear at all, or even recognize as Flynn's, before he went to bite the area between neck and collarbone. That made Yuri yelp in confusion about whether that felt great or painful, but he couldn't stop Flynn, especially when he started grinding their hips together and _oh god that feels so fucking good oh please-_

When Yuri was about to open his mouth to moan Flynn's name once more, a loud warble interrupted him.

"Whoops. That's my cue." Yuri pushed a highly bewildered Flynn off of him. It took both of them some time to let blood flow back to their brains, especially Flynn, who needed to go to the bathroom and dunk his face in cold water. Yuri sat up, the tingles of pleasure still reverberating althroughout his body with every movement. 

"Yuri? Was that Ba'ul?" Flynn asked once he emerged from the bathroom, his face and hair still soaking wet, but his eyes still not quite _normal_.

"Yeah. Means we're ready to fly. They're probably already waiting for me." He adjusted his jacket, and even closed his shirt because _damn_ the hickeys would appear anytime soon. Smoothing his tousled hair he stood up, wore his scarf, retrieved his bouquet from the floor, and started climbing over the windowsill.

"Okay," Flynn managed to sound not disappointed that he just got cockblocked by an Entelexeia and an entire guild, and also by himself for signing those papers. "Meet me here on your birthday?"

"Of course." He lifted the paper flowers up. "Hey, thank you for this. It was nice."

Flynn grinned. "You're welcome. I love you."

Yuri pressed two fingers on his lips and then extended them towards his suitor-of-sorts as he blew air on them. He winked one last time as he maneuvered outside, jumping down. Flynn followed to the window, watching him effortlessly slide down a pipe and dangle off ledges, safely but at the same time dangerously exiting.

He really should have someone install a net to catch Yuri if he had another accident.

But first, a cold shower. A _very_ cold shower, perhaps with crushed ice, just to try and forget how Yuri sounded like and how his bare skin felt on his lips.

/**/

It was the dead of night when Yuri climbed up the ramp to the Fiertia's deck, Flynn's bouquet in hand. The last of the Knights' cargo were just being loaded in and Yuri made sure to move fast and hide the flowers because _god damn_ he was about to burst. Judy and Karol were just standing on the deck, and he wished he knew how to teleport. Who knows what Judy would say or do if she spots the flowers, or hell, the _hickeys._ He did _not_ want her to see the hickeys or the lovebites. Who knows what Karol might ask.

Thankfully they didn't say anything.

Once alone inside his room, he got another good look at the flowers Flynn made out of paper, and he finally allowed the blush on his cheeks to rise, after having to hide it on his short trip from the palace to his room. In all honesty, the paper flowers Flynn made did not look perfect at all. Some of the dried glue was still visible on the junctions of stem and flower, and some petals looked wrinkled, as if Flynn had refolded the paper. Despite the imperfections, Yuri swelled with fuzz filling his heart, and he had to stuff his face into the nearest pillow to keep himself from screaming out loud.

It just so happened that the nearest pillow was a very, very tired Repede.

Yuri screamed right into Repede's fur, and then the dog was glaring at his human with his one judgmental eye, as if to express, 'what the _fuck_ are you doing?'

"Repede," he showed the dog the paper flowers, "Flynn actually gave this to me."

"Woof."

"A-and it's. Fucking sappy. I can't. Dammit, I just can't." He then whined into the dog's fur again.

Repede thought his human was being too overdramatic and complicated, and thumped his tail on Yuri's hair to get that across.

"Do you think I really deserve him, Repede?"

The dog uncurled, eye staring intently at his human.

"I just... I love him, really, but I still feel like I'm not the one for him-" 

Canine teeth dug into the flesh of his knee, not enough to puncture but enough to make it hurt _a lot._

"Ow! What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Woof!"

Yuri grimaced. "You saying I should be his boyfriend too? I'm worthy of him?"

"Woof."

Yuri groaned and let his head fall on his actual pillow. "Fuck, fine. Lemme think about it."

Truthfully, though, Repede just bit him to warn him that if he didn't let him sleep, he'd chew his boots.


	3. Chapter 3

It was just a few days before Yuri's birthday, and just a little over a week before Ioder's coronation and his oathtaking, and things were getting massively hectic. Flynn wasn’t even truly the Commandant yet, but things were already getting difficult to handle with leadership of the Imperial Knights, decimated and with much less power with the death blastia. Zaphias needed to be safe, the castle needed to be safe, and the world at large still had matters to attend to. Mermen had been attacking Capua Nor and Capua Torim relentlessly, Orcs invaded Aurnion's main stone quarry, and Zaphias itself was facing problems with fungal monsters congregating in abandoned parts of the Lower Quarter. All of those were problems he knew was causing suffering, but in the end he had to choose which to prioritize and which to delay. With the Knights spread thin with the loss of the blastia, it was a massive challenge. Literally only Halure seemed to not have problems, with the majority of Aspian mages there testing the new mana artes on the surrounding monsters. Maybe he could request some of them to split and do their research in other places, but that would be at the expense of faster progress.

The previous night was the very first night as Commandant that he wasn't able to finish his tasks for the day, since Yuri's _little incident_ on Zaude at least.

He wondered to himself if Alexei had to handle such a load, and whether he would find trustworthy advisors and confidants like Alexei used to, although not for a conspiracy. Of course not for heinous things such as that. Sodia and Leblanc, and maybe Raven as well were good candidates for those positions. Sodia with her unwavering loyalty, Leblanc with his compassion, and Raven with his experience, if not his eyes and ears, but just three would not be able to cut it. He wracked his mind for names he could trust. 

_Yuri._

Yuri could be trusted but he was no knight. Not even knight material. _I want to see him soon. I want to kiss him._

He perused the list of officers and the names of his own brigade. Colonel Curtiss, research division head working closely with Aspio in developing the new mana artes. Captain Albane, who had made a name for himself by leading the task force that exposed trafficking rings. Lieutenant Lhant, who used to be part of the platoon of nobles mixed with commoners after the Great War. All of them were excellent, and when he worked with them before, they were promising and trustworthy.

"Sir?" Sodia poked her head into his room. "You have visitors."

"Come in," he said as he marked the names of persons to consider elevating in rank. 

There was a clack of heels as the visitor entered his room, and when he looked up from his work, the visitor's long and bare legs were the first thing he noticed, as much as he didn't want to admit it. If she ever noticed, he could chalk it up to wondering why she didn't wear anything that covered her body when winter was starting.

"Miss Judith."

Judith put her hand on her hip and shifted her weight, eyes glittering and mouth stretched to a thin smile. "Hello, Flynn."

The second thing he thought after seeing the Krityan was _Yuri_ , but he didn't speak of it _._ "Good morning. What brings you here?"

"Well, Yuri told me you were willing to give us a reimbursement for our help in Aurnion. Karol sent me here to speak to you about it." 

"Wonderful. How can the Knights pay you?"

"Oh, I was here to tell you that, at least for now, we wouldn't ask for payment as a guild, but maybe next time we might hand you some slips. Personally, though, I'd appreciate it if we could register the Fiertia as an armed cargo ship, but maybe I'd go over that with Karol first."

He knew Judith's lips weren't loose, and the offhand mention of the guild ship was not just a topic in a friendly discussion. Clever. "I could work on that. By the way, Miss Judith, Yuri told me you would come later this week."

"Oh, we weren't supposed to leave Aurnion too early, but Karol had some matters to attend to in Halure. Then we ran into Duke just before we left, and we gave him a ride back home."

"Duke?" He blinked. "Does he live here in Zaphias? There is something I need to talk about with him."

"No. But we had an agreement. None of us are allowed to share to others where he lives. His home isn't welcome for most people."

"Oh." He tried not to sound disappointed, but quickly thought to divert the subject. "How about Yuri? Is he around in town?"

"Yes. He is currently in the Lower Quarter, helping out like usual."

Now he tried not to sound so giddy and excited, but he did allow himself to smile softly. "I should go visit him tonight."

"He told me he'll drop by here after lunchtime."

"I see." He glanced to his paperwork of the day, piling up faster with reports and requests and other things. "I hope I can finish these before he arrives."

"You know, Yuri's acting weird lately." She wondered aloud, twirling one of her antennae around a finger. "I could excuse his unwillingness to take payments for the other jobs we did, but I didn't expect him to not charge the Imperial Knights. He also buttoned his shirt until yesterday." Her gaze shimmered with _knowing_ , and Flynn carefully schooled his expression into a poker face. "I wonder... I think you did something to convince him to vote against charging the Knights this time. As our guild's finance person, I'm not sure if we could finally earn enough to afford some changes soon."

"I most certainly didn't. I tried to convince Yuri to let me pay you." _Oh goodness gracious, am I blushing?_

"Sure." She smiled wryly. "I'll go to the Lower Quarter and tell Yuri you're expecting him."

"Thank you, Miss Judith."

"Judith is fine. See you soon, Flynn." The Krityan turned to leave the room, laughing to herself.

Sodia eyed her commander with a raised brow. 

"I didn't do anything with Yuri, I swear."

  


/**/

  


Colonel Curtiss' report contained a promising study about the development of less powerful mana artes that weren't as destructive as the first ones were. Flynn happily leafed through the pages of the extremely detailed report even though he couldn't really understand half of it— _Rita has some competition for the most technical talker—_ with things looking up for the Knights for once-

"Judy told me you're expecting me," a voice suddenly pulled him out of focus. Flynn almost dropped the missive he was holding in his hand to draw the sword hanging by his hip, but quieted down when he realized it was only Yuri, who again had climbed up to his window, and much more stealthily this time.

_When will this man learn how to use the goddamned door?_ "You frightened me."

"I thought you heard me when I said 'hey' five minutes ago," Yuri sniped back, grinning as he slid off the windowsill and walked over to his friend to stand behind him. "You look really stressed. Lotta work?"

"Yeah." He threw his head back and looked up to the his soft face. "I suddenly got swamped with work recently. Rehearsals, and then a few crises all over the world. I also was picking who'll become my knight advisors for when I officially become Commandant."

"You're doing your best." He ruffled his blond hair, making the latter hum happily at the touch. "Keep hearing praises for you around. I'm proud of you."

"I don't know. I feel like I'm doing too many things at once."

His fingers went from his head down to his shoulders, pressing there to massage out the knots there. "Then let others do some of the work you do. You can't possibly do everything on your own."

"I should assemble a team of aides today-"

A disappointed sighed. "Flynn. How about you just go get your rest? Your team of helpers can wait for tomorrow."

"Agreed. I think I earned my rest for now." He stood up and faced Yuri. "I'm glad you're here." 

Yuri glanced down, then back up, smirked, and raised a knowing brow. "Is that a knife in your pants or are you just excited to see me?"

"Excited. Can I pick up where I left off?" 

"Sure, but nothing below the belt."

Flynn only gave him a broad grin, then he leaned in to slot his lips with Yuri's. As they kissed, Flynn's hands travelled down to undo the knot of the cloth belt, then up to the center of Yuri's shirt, the skin of the middle of his chest warm under the pads of his fingers. He easily pushed off the shirt off the shoulders, leaving the latter's chest and shoulders fully exposed. Flynn cupped Yuri's chest, smiling when he found the nipple erect and playing with it with his thumb. That smile widened more when Yuri parted from his lips to gasp at the electric sensation.

"Like that?" Flynn hummed against Yuri's lips.

"Ohh yes, I didn't know that could feel good- ah..." He exhaled when his other nipple got pinched and rolled. "Flynn... you’re good..."

"I want to-"

Firm knocks on the door startled both men. "Commandant?" A young boy's voice called out. 

Ioder.

_His Highness!_

"Get off me!" Yuri managed to half-screech whilst pushing his blond friend off him. He bolted for the bathroom as the doorknob clicked open.

"Oh, good morning Yuri. I wasn't expecting you to be here," Ioder greeted with a wide smile as Yuri half-slammed the door to the bathroom closed. "Hello, Flynn."

"Your Highness, please forgive Yuri and his... erm, lack of manners and... his nudity." Flynn could _feel_ Yuri fume from inside the bathroom as he fumbled for an apology. Shame boiled up from his gut as he had to say that in front of the _future Emperor._ Thank goodness none of Ioder's Council escorts was around to hear that, but that was only a thin silver lining compared to having to tell Ioder _that_.

"Please. Don't worry about that. I know how Yuri is like, and I do not need to have a reason." Ioder was a kind young prince, always considerate. "I also would appreciate if Yuri would come to the rehearsals today, seeing as he is one of the honorable guests." Ioder also had a second face behind his usually unassuming one, and that was always, always demanding. Charisma and charm. A deadly combination.

It didn't really mean Yuri would fall for it though, since before Flynn opened his mouth, Yuri voiced his muffled but _loud_ disagreement from behind the door.

"Oh, come on, Yuri. It's not like you'd be paraded around like I will be," Flynn talked back, and the prince laugh his royal, subdued laugh.

"Is he always like this?" Ioder asked, amusement wrinkling his eyes.

"Yes, your Highness. He is always stubborn, and he doesn't like to be the center of attention."

"I suppose I understand," he remarked, "but I still would like to invite him to the rehearsals this afternoon. I think it would be nice for a member of Brave Vesperia to know the flow of what will happen on the big day."

"If it would please you, I could drag him there with me."

"The hell you will!" Yuri screamed from the bathroom, and Ioder laughed again, even more amused.

"What good friends you two are."

_And soon-to-be boyfriends, if I succeed_. "We have been together since childhood."

"It is good to have close allies by your side," Ioder said with a twinkle in his eye. More of his double meanings, perhaps. "I initially dropped by to ask if you have seen my cousin around. I received word she is coming this afternoon to join us, and I thought she might wish to see you first."

"In truth, I have not seen Lady Estellise in the castle. She may still be on her way to the capital."

"I see. Alright. I shall see you later in the rehearsals, Commandant. Have fun with Yuri for now."

And as quick as Ioder arrived, he left. Yuri then emerged from the bathroom, still in his half-topless glory. "I can _not_ believe Ioder almost saw you fondling my chest."

"I wouldn't know what to do if he did."

"The kid is sharp, Flynn. There's a reason why he's chosen to be Emperor over Estelle. _You_ endorsed his ascendance. He prolly knows what you did even if he didn't see it."

Inwardly, he knew Ioder had at least a nebulous idea, and just chose not to comment on it. 'Have fun with Yuri for now' _really_ had something there. _The earth can swallow me up now._ "Oh no."

"What, are you embarrassed of your relationship with me?"

"No, oh goodness. I'm only perturbed because I kind of don't want to be an accidental exhibitionist, especially in front of the Emperor."

Yuri's accusing expression vanished in a blink of an eye, replaced with loud cackling. "And you're going to officially be the Commandant in a week and you're still working in your room you got when you were still _Lieutenant._ "

"Well, I mean... I got promoted to Captain on the field and I didn't make arrangements to move rooms since it didn't matter to me at the time, and I still can't use the office which is beside the room until next week. Bureaucracy and architecture are a bitch."

Yuri chortled and slapped Flynn's arm. "My, I should tell Ioder that Flynn Scifo said a bad bad _bad_ word. Truly unprofessional." 

"I'd thought you'd appreciate some crude humor."

"It's so much funnier when it comes out your mouth. Look at you. You're the highest ranking knight in the Empire and you just said 'bitch'."

"Yuri, please. Everyone can say 'bitch'."

"I wasn't even going to say anything about that if you hadn't said 'bitch', you know. What I was going to point out is that you have the future Emperor barging in your Lieutenant room with the bed on display."

"Why? What's wrong with it?" He scanned his soon-to-be reassigned bed. He'd be missing it. "It doesn't look bad. There aren't any wrinkles there."

"Flynn, the other night you jumped me. You almost ripped my shirt off just before Ioder knocked. If you do that again, someone might find us."

Flynn wiped his face with his hands, dragging the skin of his cheeks down and groaned at the repeated thought of Ioder secretly knowing about them doing certain activities together before they even truly crossed the line into lovers and announced it. 

"Flynn, if you really want to keep things discreet for a while, I think you should, you know, hold back on the horniness." Yuri chuckled to himself, his shoulders shaking in his laughter. "Pervert."

"I'm so sorry," he murmured into his hands, falling down to sit on his chair and rest his elbows on his knees.

"'S fine. You can continue if you want, but goodness, lock the door."

He looked up at Yuri, who had already folded his leg behind him and rested on the foot of his bed.

Then, he spotted an oddly clean line of scar tissue just under his ribs, just neatly where the liver would be, running diagonally from end to end. He frowned when he spotted no other scars near that place, the closest ones being on the shoulders and arms. It stuck out on his skin, especially that it was on the front part of the body where no other noticeable scars were. It was still dark, not faint like it would usually be after years, which coincided with his memory. That was definitely not from years ago in the Knights, nor was it from one of Yuri's more extralegal actions before he quite suddenly went on an adventure spanning the whole globe. He would have known. 

Yuri could have died from that.

"Yuri, where did you get that scar?"

The laughter died out instantly, and all mirth on Yuri's face flaked away. A hand went to cover the scar, and Flynn stood up to approach.

"It looks like it hit your liver-"

"It's fine. Just one time I let my guard down, is all." He cocked his head to turn away, lips pursed.

_But it's so suspicious._ "I... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have commented on it."

"Don't worry. I lived after this _and_ falling, and it's all that matters."

His eyes widened. "Are you implying you got that from whoever tried to kill you at Zaude?" The atmosphere went even more tense, with Yuri suddenly looking high-strung.

"You got me," Yuri grumbled.

And when Flynn heard that, words quickly streamed out of his mouth. "Tell me who did this to you. Yuri, I know it's one of the knights. I can court-martial them. I have the power for that. Please-"

"Can we not discuss this?" Yuri's outburst ended as soon as it began, and he sighed as he shimmied the sleeves onto his arms and adjusted his shirt, straightening the collar and smoothing down the panels. He pushed himself up and then wrapped an arm around Flynn's shoulders. "Sorry. I know you're still sensitive to what happened in Zaude."

Flynn let his own arm snake around his waist, paused, then opted to fully embrace him. "You're probably spooked about it, too."

"I'm just a little freaked out about it. But it really freaks me out when you freak out about it."

"But will you tell me someday? Will you tell me who tried to kill you?" He brushed stray hair away from Yuri's face and cupped his cheek. "I love you. And if someone belonging to my Imperial Knights were to try and kill the person I love, I can't possibly know if I can trust them."

"I took care of it. Your knights are fine."

"As you say." He moved for one more kiss before hugging Yuri again. "Let's just go outside for some fresh air, and leave this alone. Does that sound good?"

"Wouldn't your soldiers think you're slacking off?"

"My people know I'm not the type to slack off. That would be _your_ personality trait." He took Yuri's wrist gently in his hand and led him outside to the hallway. "Let's take a walk around."

"Ohoho. Is this a date?"

"Do you want it to be?"

Blushing, Yuri punched his friend's shoulder. "How about you buy me some sweets and maybe we can go for a walk."

  


/**/

  


Sweets acquired from Yuri's favorite bakery, both men walked together to the Public Quarter plaza closest to The Comet, not quite hand-in-hand but close together to attract some curious looks, but not so curious as to watch them closely. They sat on the bench closest to the ramp leading to the Lower Quarter, side by side, and Flynn wondered if rumors about them would be whispered in hushed voices all over the capital. 

Not that he really minded. If it reached the nobility, he would mind even less. They could stew in their disapproval of the new Commandant and their sneering hatred of the commoner population, and all he had to do was lean back and watch them boil themselves alive in their seething anger. 

His imagination suddenly took a turn, and he pictured himself on a high balcony, announcing his relationship with Yuri to the entire world as people cheered and threw flowers and grains of rice at them. Then he'd put rings around their fingers. And then he'd kiss Yuri. He'd carry him down a winding staircase bridal style-

"I hope you aren't buying expensive gifts and shit like this to court me," Yuri said, taking Flynn away from his fantasy of weddings, as he sunk his teeth on the very expensive cinnamon twist (2000 gald was quite expensive for bread the size of the twist) in his hand.

"You said I should get you these so that we can go out on a walk."

"True," he spoke with his mouth full of bread. He had to swallow before opening his mouth again. "I was just saying."

"I know fancy expensive stuff won't win you over. This is just a little treat of mine for accompanying me in my downtime today, and it is your favorite bakery with your favorite food."

"Taking advantage of my favorites?"

Vigorously shaking his head, Flynn said, "No, no, no," which made Yuri chuckle to himself.

"This is what I like about you." He tapped the tip of Flynn's nose with a kind of smile the blond had never seen on his face before.

"About me?" He asked with a stupefied expression, heart rate raising. "W-what do you like about me?"

"Well. You're many things. Honest, thoughtful." He nibbled on the cinnamon bread twist for a couple of moments before piping up again. "The flowers you gave me were really nice, honestly. Still not wilted."

"Paper isn't supposed to wilt."

"'S like you're telling me your love for me won't wilt like actual flowers do."

Flynn had honestly _never_ considered that. He'd actually meant for it to be a gift that didn't lose any value over time like real flowers that withered with age. A gift that didn't boast of riches, only the toils of the heart.

"You're always taking so much risks when I'm around you, or whenever there's something about me. You always let me go back then. You took hits for me. You even turned the whole world over to look for me."

He had to hold back a few tears from the emotions and also a few jeers at the amount of sentimentality Yuri seemed to hold, despite his façade of aloofness.

"Do you do these things for me?" Yuri asked in a soft voice, exhaled like a sigh.

"Of course. I love you so much." Oh, he wanted nothing more than to kiss him, but perhaps not in public where everyone could lay their eyes on them, especially that Yuri still had not said 'yes'. He did twirl a finger around a lock of dark hair, black strands swirling on his nail. "I'll always do anything for you."

Yuri closed his eyes and put the cinnamon twist down on his lap. "I'm thinking about having an afternoon picnic for my birthday date," he started, throwing his head back in a picture of relaxation. "Can you do that for me?"

Flynn almost could not believe his ears. _Yuri's agreeing on a date?_ "Yes! Of course! Where do you want it to be?"

"Public park. The place we went to when we were brave enough to go to when we were kids. The one with the pond and creeks and the bridge we used to hang on."

The memories of laughter as they played tag and frolicked on the muddy puddles in that specific park, with dirt on their faces, they all came to him in a flash. He and Yuri would find camouflaged bugs in the trees and get shooed away by Knights when they still used to be uptight. They'd run away from them, giggling together and bolting for the safety of the Lower Quarter. When they'd wreaked havoc and the Knights would come to chase them, Yuri would usually be the one grabbing his hand and drag him as they sprinted to escape. Then, his mother used to fuss over them when they came home after rolling in the mud, dousing them with warm water and then scrubbing them with cheap soap that smelled like fat and oil rather than the decent sudsy florals from his early childhood. It even appeared Yuri was thinking of the same memories, his lips pulled into a thin and fond smile. 

"Happy things happened, right?" Yuri murmured.

"Yeah. It's a little fitting."

"I'll prep the food. You get a nice picnic cloth or something. Absolutely no cooking anything. Just bring something to sit on so I don't ruin my pants."

"Yes, yes. Okay." Flynn couldn't help but grin from ear to ear, making Yuri roll his eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

_Yuri's birthday_ , was the very first thought he had once he opened his eyes, and the heartbeat that thumped against his ribs roused him from slumber.

Flynn awoke to a dim winter morning with the brightest of moods, the sheer excitement of what was going to come making his soul leap in every second. He had already blocked this entire day for rest, with only minimal work left to do and Sodia and the newly assembled team of aides to the Commandant working until the coronation ceremony was finished.

In other words, Flynn was free the entire day and he couldn't contain his elation about his first date with Yuri happening anytime that day. He was like a dam on the verge of breaking.

After clearing his desk of the more urgent requests and orders, Flynn decided to spend the first two hours of the morning finally moving his belongings to his new room, however scant they may be. There were only two small carts of things to be brought over, and he surveyed his new office–Alexei's former office, now his.

The office was comprised of a large looming desk inside an absurdly spacious room, and it reminded him of their late captain's own room back when Yuri was still a knight. The walls were lined with shelves, empty save for a new oil lamp. Customary since the loss of blastia. Windows facing south were placed strategically to allow some sunlight to pour in and light the room in the daytime. There were two doors at the back of the room, one to the left and the other to the opposite side, the former leading to the bathroom and the other to his new bedroom.

Alexei used to display his wealth there. The few times he had been called to this very same office, there were bottles of rare wines, and, if he remembered correctly, geodes on stands. Flynn began thinking of decorating them with humble little pots of plants instead, and perhaps some books, but that might invite some unwanted commentary from people of high society. _Just some plants it is,_ he thought to himself. At least he could defend ornamental plants and not have to prove his worth with books. His worth came from his service, not from the nobility's skewed perception of what knowledge was supposed to be. They judged worth according to their standards of finery, yet they would not know about the hands-on facts of fighting monsters and the struggles of the poor.

Flynn set off to unpacking his things, starting with his personal belongings in the bedroom. Trinkets went into the nightstand drawer. He placed his clothes, folded and hung, in the wide armoire. His things from his childhood, he still kept in the same chest, but moved it next to the nightstand. Finally, Ted's framed drawing of Flynn (taking up a large majority of the paper) and Yuri (a tiny afterthought on a corner) was hung on the wall as one of the first framed pictures. After that, he set off to arranging where his wax tablets and seal would go, and affixed his favorite document tray on the corner of his new desk.

And with that, all was done. Yuri was still not there with whatever food he'd whipped up for their picnic, and it was about to be lunchtime.

He sat on the edge of the surprisingly very fluffy mattress and, in a split second, imagined how Yuri's dark inky locks, fanning out from his head and contrasting with the glow of a blush, would look against the white sheets. Flynn grabbed one of the pillows and held it close, burying his face into it. _Do not think of Yuri on bed, do not think of Yuri on this bed, do not think of Yuri naked on the bed-_

"Flynn?" A light voice from the other side of the door leading straight into the hallway said, before knocking lightly on the wood. Estellise didn't need to knock more for Flynn to spring up. _Thank heavens_ , he thought as he stood up and opened the door.

"Good morning, Lady Estellise."

"Flynn!" She gave him a light, friendly hug, as it always was with Estelle and her friends. She always acted like she hadn't seen her friends for a long while. "Good morning! I heard from Sodia that you're free today?"

"Yes, I am-"

"You should join me in the kitchen! I'm baking cookies and cake for all of us, and it could help you wind down a little for tomorrow!"

_How kind._ "I can help out, your Highness." 

"Great!" She beamed, then she grabbed his wrist and dragged him to the direction of the kitchen, before abruptly stopping midway. "I just remembered. Don't add anything to the batter, okay?"

Flynn sighed. "Yes, your Highness."

Satisfied, Estelle continued dragging him.

When they arrived to the palace kitchen, the smaller one instead of where the usual cooks do their jobs, hadn't thought there would be anyone else there. Rita Mordio was in there, obsessively measuring flour on cups and levelling her eyes to the top. Her tendencies as a scientist carried over to the kitchen, it seemed. But what was more surprising was the man sitting on the table and rolling cookie dough into little palm-sized balls, hair bunched up under a hairnet. Gray eyes met his gaze.

"Yuri?"

"Ohey, Flynn. Whatcha doing here?" He cheerfully greeted.

"What are _you_ doing here? Not that I mind, of course, but I'm confused."

"Estelle asked me to help out with the baking this morning."

"Yes! I went to the Lower Quarter this morning so we can all make cookies for his birthday!" Estelle squeezed Flynn's hand, obviously excited. "And Yuri said he'll help out if he could use the kitchen to make some things for your picnic later!"

"Picnic?" Rita interrupted, brows together and mouth open. "What, are you two dating?"

Flynn coughed nervously, a blush rising on his cheeks. _Dating?_ Could they actually be dating? How would one define their relationship? A limbo between friends and lovers? Lovers-in-training?

"And what if it is?" Yuri smirked, somewhat dodging the question. _Smart move._

"Can't say we didn't expect it," she grumbled, before going back to mixing her perfectly measured flour with the eggs and sugar and water and everything else. Her murmured words caused both men's brows to raise. Yuri shrugged, like he would usually do, and think privately, but Flynn openly gawked, which Estelle noticed.

"Are you two courting each other?" Estelle asked in her oh-so-innocent lilting voice, but before the blond man could reply, Yuri cut in.

"Flynn! You didn't answer my question."

"Oh," Flynn spluttered for a minute, trying to fetch the memory of whatever question had been asked. "Uh. What I'm doing here, right?"

"Yeah, obviously."

Then Estelle hung an apron over Flynn, and Yuri's gaze widened with abject horror.

"Estelle!" Yuri gasped, dropping the ball of dough on the pan. Splat _._ "What are you doing?!"

"I invited Flynn to help me out, too!" She pouted at him, lightly stomping her right foot on the tiles.

"He makes edible things inedible!"

_Ouch._ Flynn held his right palm up, the very same gesture he would make in his own oathtaking. "I promise I shall follow the recipe to the letter."

"See?" Estelle gestured to his raised hand. "He promises!"

Yuri shot him a glare. "Some of these cookies might make it to our picnic!"

"All the more reason to help out, right?" Flynn sauntered over to Yuri's chair and bowed down. "Why don't we spend the first part of your birthday with me following your orders?"

Yuri stopped glowering, and started pondering.

"Please. I really promise not to modify the recipes. I'm not going to risk poisoning you for your birthday."

A sigh. "You just stick with me and never leave my sight."

He nodded eagerly.

"Now, you make these cookie balls. Get a bit of flour on your hands." Yuri gestured towards Rita, who was scraping off excess flour from the top of the measuring cup. What was baffling, though, was when Estelle approached her and gave her a high-five, when nothing really happened.

Flynn just decided not to mind it, and coated his hands with a thin layer of wheat flour. As he sat down on the chair beside Yuri, the latter leaned in to whisper in his ear.

"Didn't know you were this kinky."

" _K-kinky?!_ " Flynn managed not to say it out loud only by an iota, braking just at the right moment. 

"There's you, the soon-to-be-Commandant," he said while gesturing towards his friend, then turned his thumb to himself, "and there's me."

"What are you implying?"

"That you're submissive."

" _What?!"_ This time, the two women on the other side of the kitchen definitely heard. He was _not-_

"Okay, let's do an exercise called 'hindsight'. The last few times we've seen each other, you have been doing a lot of uninnocent things."

Flynn's cheeks heated up. "I'm so sorry."

"Oh come _on_ , don't be sorry about that. I'm just now conditioned to think you're the _physical_ kind of boyfriend, aren't you?"

"I-"

"Don't worry. I don't mind." His lips curled into a definitely evil smile. "And I don't mind being called 'master'."

The poor ball of cookie dough in Flynn's hand was squashed between two palms as Flynn elbowed Yuri, who laughed and laughed and laughed some more.

/**/

By the time the first two batches of cookies were already pulled out to cool, Raven entered the kitchen sniffing the air like a hungry dog. Speaking of dog, Repede was also with him.

"You idiot! Are you sure you should be letting that mutt in a kitchen, especially the palace kitchen?" Rita snarled, but washed her hands to fluff Repede's head and fuss over him like she was his owner.

"Good morning to you too," Raven sighed heavily, channeling his old man persona. "What're you kids whippin' up?"

"Oatmeal cookies!" Estelle joyfully replied. "Would you like some?"

"Of course," Raven said, then gracefully accepted the little bowl of cookies the princess thrust into his chest. "Smells nice. Any occasion I'm missin'?"

"I'm so offended you forgot my birthday," Yuri said in a deadpan voice, not looking up from the dough he was making. "I'm sure you hate me. How is our friendship really standing, old man?"

"No, no, dear Yuri. An old man's brain isn't as sharp as it used ta be. We're friends of the covenant!" And then he held his arms out, as if beckoning Yuri to embrace him. "Besties!"

"You're not my bestie. You know who my real bestie is?"

"Who, so I can duel them to win your bestieship?"

Yuri actually had to hold back his guffawing as he said, "Flynn."

Flynn, whose brainpower had been concentrated on mixing chocolate dough and not accidentally summoning food devils, looked up at the sound of his name. "Huh?" 

That was sadly ignored, as Yuri and Raven continued their friendly banter.

"This is my best friend. And he's the Commandant. Say hi, Flynn."

Said 'Commandant' gawked, completely baffled. "Hi? _"_

"What do you have against the might of bulky biceps, hard abs, and defined pecs?" Then he suddenly caressed Flynn's stomach on the more ticklish parts, making the latter make a strangled noise that sounded suspiciously like a giggle. 

_Damn it, Yuri!_ "Yuri, don't-"

"I have the charm and elegance honed from years of skill and practice." He winked. "Seduction beats muscle."

Flynn perked up at the 'seduction', his brows knitting together and a certain emotion welling up from inside his heart. Raven, seducing Yuri? Somehow, it didn't sound very... palatable to him. Jealousy simmered inside of him, despite the fact that Yuri clearly loved him back. He breathed in, and out. Inhale, exhale. Turning back his attention to the chocolate dough, he continued his deep breaths, expelling the jealousy out into the air. _Raven's not going to get Yuri. He doesn't have a chance._ He repeated this mantra in his head, hoping to quash unhealthy thoughts.

He kept his head down while he plucked off pieces of dough to roll into little balls to flatten later as Yuri and Raven resumed sniping at each other, until suddenly Estelle cut the friendly flirting short and grabbed Raven's wrist.

"Raven, I forgot! There was something I needed to show you, come with me! You come too, Rita!"

"My cookies!" Raven complained, dramatically reaching out to the half-full cookie bowl he had been handed, but the princess was definitely stronger than she let on. Rita finally stopped her fond petting of Repede (she would deny it, but she spent a long time quietly adoring him) and marched out to follow the old man and her princess. Once she left, only Yuri and Flynn were left inside the kitchenette.

"Huh. Wonder what Estelle's up to," Yuri mused, his eyes still on the door.

"She is probably just showing Raven and Rita something. Like she said," Flynn replied as he set a flat piece of cookie dough on the pan in front of him.

He shrugged and sat back down on his seat beside his friend. "Estelle sure is acting really happy today. This might be her first birthday party that isn't, you know. Royal. Noble."

"I would think so. She seems like she is enjoying her time with you as her commoner friends."

"Yeah, she gets to be herself with us." He reclined in his chair and exhaled through his nose, looking content and happy. "Flynn. Sometimes I think, if I hadn't been in that cell that day, things would be so much different."

Flynn bit his lip, staring down at the last ball he was making. Things truly would be different. Yuri would still be stuck in Zaphias like a caged bird... and it all snowballed from there. Dahngrest and Zaphias would be in all-out war. Flynn himself would have been summarily executed by the Union. Alexei would have steamrolled through his plans. Lady Estellise would be suffering even more.

And if she was suffering, Alexei could have unleashed the Adephagos much quicker and everyone could have died, with Duke as the only one to stop the monster. 

Yuri grabbed his nose and twisted it, snapping him out of his contemplating.

"Ow!"

"You're thinking about it."

Well, it wasn't as if he could deny it. "Yeah." He threw his head back and closed his eyes before softly saying, "I could have died." 

Those last few words radically changed the atmosphere between them, with Yuri's breath stopping for a moment. Then, he felt a floury hand lay on top of his own, squeezing slightly.

"We both really could have died this year," came Yuri's voice, devoid of the teasing tone it had just a minute ago. It was soft, emotional, spoken in a whisper.

"I'm glad we're both alive, then." He lazily opened his eyes, catching Yuri's glance. "I love you."

"You do."

His heart sank a little with disappointment that his best friend still wouldn't say those three magic words back to him, but he carried on. "Can I kiss you? I'm feeling very lucky, knowing things happened the way they did."

Yuri looked over his shoulder to the door, before facing him again. "Just as long as the others still aren't here."

"It's just one quick little kiss."

"Just do it before they come back here."

Flynn happily leaned in to peck Yuri's lips once, twice, and one last time before pulling back. The latter was momentarily dazed by those three kisses before pouting at the former and tweaking his nose again.

"Cheater. That was three kisses."

Flynn just tittered and laughed as he stole another three kisses, much to Yuri's chagrin.

They didn't hear the faint peep and chuckle coming from the direction of the door.

/**/

After Estelle's little celebration, a vocal promise to eat the baked goods they made, and a short detour for Flynn to retrieve his favorite scarf (Yuri's long hair warming his neck enough and Flynn not wanting his ears to freeze), Flynn and Yuri both set out to the park, their dog Repede trotting happily beside them and carrying his own basket of food in his mouth. Choosing a nice area under a hibernating tree, they rolled out the cloth on which they would sit on and unpacked their baskets of cookies and sandwiches. One would consider it an odd sight to find two people and a dog deciding that a picnic in frosty wintertime was appropriate, but Yuri had never been the kind of person to worry much about others' opinion of his personality, Flynn simply was too intent on pleasing Yuri to think of how random their picnic date was, and Repede was a _dog_. Repede was probably the only one who cared even less than Yuri did. The blond man doubted he would be recognized in a civilian outfit, anyway, unless they knew his face and looked closer.

"So," Yuri started as he fell down on top of the cloth, pausing to watch as Repede took off to run around, "how do dates usually go?"

"Well, as far as I know, couples walk around to explore places and talk about their likes and dislikes. About their life, maybe." He followed Yuri on the cloth, crossing his legs and grabbing a cookie to bite. 

"Oh."

"I think it would be redundant if I asked you those kinds of things."

"You know me, I know you." A chuckle followed.

"Exactly."

"So, what are we going to do now?"

"What do you want to do? This was your idea."

"Dunno. Should we just, you know, eat? It's boring, though."

"Small talk? Ask about work?"

Yuri scoffed. "Are you going to let me know about top-secret Knights stuff?"

The image of a court martial and his subsequent disgraced name danced in front of his eyes like a warning. Flynn looked worriedly at Yuri. "I'm not supposed to."

"Oh come on. I'll keep my lips zipped." He traced the seam of his lips from left to right with his index finger. "If there will be things I shouldn't know, I'll pretend I don't know a thing. Zilch. My head is free of sensitive secrets."

He smiled mischievously. "Well... if no one knows you know..."

"Wow, you breaking the law? That's rich."

Flynn resorted to shoving Yuri's face away while the latter guffawed so loudly that were someone had been on the other side of the park, his voice would be heard all the way there. There were other people taking a stroll on the park, but no one took the time to study them. To them, the blond man and his possibly crazy black-haired friend were just making jokes at each other. Nothing to pay so much attention towards.

"I mean," Yuri sniffled between bursting laughs, "remember when we vandalized the fence that used to be up here?"

"We wrote our names on it." Full names, which was why he did get arrested one time as a kid. What on earth had possessed them to practice Yuri's writing by scratching their full names on that fence with sharp rocks? Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"You're not so above me on the crime department."

"Aha, but as an adult?"

"Yeah," he said somberly, the laughter dying out. He dug out a few cookies to balance on the palm of his hand. "I'm a criminal."

Suddenly Flynn regretted his choice of words. _Damage control, damage control._ "No, you're a good-hearted man."

"I hope you're not saying that because you're in love with me."

"You _are_ a good-hearted man, Yuri. Even before I realized I fell in love with you, I knew you weren't doing those things to be evil."

"I still killed people."

Yes, the happy mood was dead. Temper boiling, he swallowed the cookie already in his mouth, remembering that, even as much as he and Yuri had an unbreakable habit of butting heads over things big and small, he loved the man too much, and he certainly was not in the mood to argue with him on his birthday, and on their first date of all times. He unwrapped the scarf on his neck and tugged until one end was longer than the other, scooted closer to Yuri, and wrapped the longer end around Yuri's neck.

"What are you doing?"

"There are people around who might be wondering why you're not dressed for the season."

"My regular clothes are fine, thank you."

"But can't I show how much I care about you?"

Finally, Yuri acquiesced. He leaned his body closer so the scarf wouldn't accidentally strangle one or both of them. Long minutes passed with them just watching the clouds of breath, condensed by chilly air, blown out their mouths and noses, and watching over Repede running around and rolling in the dirt. Repede returned after, panting, and then he curled up near their legs. The dog was warm, and Flynn reached out to tousle the fur.

"Did I ever tell you who saved me in Zaude?" It was a weird way of restarting conversation, but Flynn's attention was piqued.

"No, you never actually told me."

"You were too hung up on me actually being alive, weren't you? It's weird. Brave Vesperia knows except you."

"I'm offended."

"Hah. Anyway, it was Duke."

_Duke?_ "Duke Pantarei?! The one we-"

"Tarqaron guy. White hair, red eyes, red clothes, and an actually not-black heart."

"I know he doesn't. I never assumed that of him."

"Anyone else who knows about him and Tarqaron would probably think so," he shrugged. "Anyway, he was the one who rescued me and healed this." He patted the scar on his belly. Flynn wanted to, again, ask who inflicted that on him, but he figured it wasn't the right moment.

"Yuri."

"Hmm?"

"Did I ever tell you who was the one who saved your life when we were eleven years old?"

"The sewer monster sting? Yeah, actually, you never told me who it was, except it was a couple of knights. One's human, one's Krityan. Why?"

"Turns out only one of them used to be. The other wasn't."

"Really? Also, what does that have anything to do with-"

"Yuri, the Krityan's name was Elucifer."

Yuri's eyes went wide in shock. "What?!"

"And the man who healed you had white hair. I thought it had been an old knight but no, it wasn't. Entelexeia usually have unique names, too, right?"

"And Khroma looked like a Krityan... but are you sure of this?"

"I am."

Yuri pushed his hair back, staring down at Repede and his eyes still bearing shock. "I just talked to him last week."

"Did he ever recognize us? Me?"

"Shit, I don't know. He never said anything." He scratched his scalp. "I'm not sure what the hell I should think."

"I'm... not sure too."

"God, the next time I meet him, I promise, I'll get an answer out of him."

"I just want to thank him. He saved you twice. When I thought you were dead, he took care of you."

"I knew I owe him my life. But I didn't know I owe him _twice_." He wiped his hand on his face. "Okay, next week, when I'm done with my stuff here, Brave Vesperia is going to march on his door and ask him."

"Could I at least come with you-"

"No can do, sorry. He's like a reverse vampire. He won't let you in his cabin in the woods if you aren't invited."

That, he can respect. "But then how did he invite you in if he is as reclusive as you say he is?"

"Ran into him last week while we were out monster hunting. Guild odd job. Ended up being served really good tea by him."

"Could you at least ask him about me, then?"

"Okay, but you better walk me around the city and do a _proper_ date after this picnic."

/**/

After the sun set, Flynn finally took Yuri (and Repede as the third wheel) around the Public Quarter, window shopping so Yuri can have his own scarf instead of having to shiver in the cold (if they walked together with only one scarf, they'd either stumble or get choked or both), acquiring sweets and meat skewers, watching the lights of the first 'mana lux blastia' flicker on as part of the celebration of Ioder's upcoming celebration. Flynn hadn't planned that last one to be part of their date, but he was a good knight leader that took advantage of things as they came to him. His eyes weren't drawn to the bright lights that lit up the capital, no. He was drawn to Yuri's awed face, the oranges and yellows reflecting off his eyes like black mirrors. Then Yuri abruptly turned, having felt Flynn sheepishly touch his hand, and then smiled softly at him and squeezed his hand. In that fond smile and gaze, he felt utmost love flooding out of his soul.

And then, all of a sudden, Yuri leaned forward to kiss him, right in public. Pure joy inundated Flynn's heart and soul as he threw his arms around his beloved and pressed his lips back. When they pulled apart, they laughed and knocked their foreheads together.

But all good things had to have an end. The lighting of the mana lux blastia came to a stop and they found themselves walking back to the Lower Quarter with their hands clasped together.

"Hey. Thanks for the date." Yuri smiled softly at Flynn as they climbed up the stairs to Yuri's tiny room above the Comet. "It was really nice. Your cookies also didn't taste like crap."

"I'm glad to have made you happy today," Flynn replied, mirroring the smile given to him.

"I was really happy. It's kinda my best birthday so far."

"That makes me even gladder, Yuri." He laid his hand on his left shoulder, then let it slide down his arm. It was just a little bit of a display of his affections, which Yuri reciprocated with a tender embrace, looping his arms around Flynn's waist. 

"You should be."

"I always will do my best for you, Yuri." He sniffed Yuri's hair, still smelling vaguely of winter and baked goods.

"I know. You've got a big heart." He pulled back, one hand still grasping Flynn's waist, and tapped on the center of Flynn's chest a couple of times with a single finger. "Even though maybe you're a little too obvious with your courting of me. Taking me to the lighting party? A little too on the nose."

Simpering, Flynn brushed black hair behind his ear. "I listen to criticism."

"A great leader listens to comments, yeah?"

"Mhm."

"Well," Yuri said as he squared his shoulders, "I wonder if the white knight fighting for my affections can wait until tomorrow night for something that will make him happy."

His heart skipped a beat. "Something?"

"Yeah. You already gave me a gift today, so why not I give _you_ a gift tomorrow after your oathtaking?"

Flummoxed, Flynn only managed to say, "Okay." But deep inside, his soul was stoked to flaming elation, unsure what that gift would be or what to expect, yet anticipating even so.

"See you tomorrow night, then. At the ceremony." 

"I'll see you, too. I love you, Yuri."

Yuri moved in to press his lips on Flynn's cheek before entering his room and closing his door with a tiny click.

Flynn turned to leave, the spot on his cheek where Yuri kissed him still smouldering hot. He touched it gingerly to recreate that tiny moment, and he all but skipped happily back to the palace, eager to rest but even more eager for what would happen the night after.

He missed the slithering noise from the top of the roof, where a Krityan was grinning to herself she she made her own way to the palace.

/**/

"Okay, guys," Rita hollered, several books on the table waiting to be thrown, "I was okay with setting them up with the baking, but _spying_ on them? You're creepy!"

"Yes," Estelle peeped in agreement.

"It's not as if we were spying on 'em!" Raven protested, taking off his ridiculous disguise of a feathery hat and a purple full-length cloak.

"You were still _spying_! You, old man who had spied on us, should know _shit_ about spying!"

"Hey, first off, it's not spying if I'm not workin' for someone else-"

"You _are_ kinda working for us!" She flailed her arms wildly around the room. "And you're naturally fishy so yeah, you were spying!"

"And second, that was technically just followin'. All Judy, Patty, and I wanted ta see was if they kissed."

"And they did!" Patty said enthusiastically, as if she were not threatened by the group's resident angry girl. "Flynn took Yuri on a romantic date!"

"Rita, darlin', we all did the same thing in Aurnion."

"Okay, but I think today we went a little too far-" Rita was rudely interrupted by taps on glass, and everyone turned their heads towards the source. It was Judith, somehow balancing on the windowsill. Estelle opened the window for her.

"You would not believe what I heard in the Lower Quarter tonight," Judith said as she slinked into Estelle's room through the window. 

"What did you hear?" Patty asked first, smile already plastered all over her little face.

"Well, Yuri seems to have liked his first date with Blondie, and Blondie's cookies."

"The cookies was a success!" Estelle squeed, her grin as nefarious as a bunny rabbit hopping freely in the plains. She then went to crush Rita in a hug.

"Yeah, yeah," Rita rolled her eyes whilst blushing red, speaking softly like she hadn't just been yelling a literal minute ago, "you coming up with that plan on the go earlier today was pretty impressive. Who'd have thought."

"Right! I can be cunning an resourceful too! We even got them to kiss in the kitchen! Oh, I'm so looking forward to the wedding!"

"I-I think a wedding is still a little... far off in the future, Estelle."

"There is more, though." Judith crossed her arms, but still retained her knowing grin. "Yuri is going to gift Flynn something tomorrow night."

Raven suddenly pulled out some coins out of his pocket and presented said coins to the others. He looked them over before grinning. "500 gald it's his virginity."

Estelle gasped in horror. "Raven, that's horrible! We don't bet like that! I hereby call to not bet on anything like that ever!"


	5. Chapter 5

Ioder's coronation ceremony was beginning at twilight and by tomorrow, he would be a full-fledged Emperor. Flynn would be a true Commandant, too. He would be granted full station and full power to change what needed to change. His and Yuri's dreams for a better, fairer world would be realized, step by step.

As he finished his most urgent duties he emerged in the afternoon to check the security of the castle himself, the electric excitement flowing through him as he thought about so much of his and Yuri's dreams getting fulfilled soon enough. He couldn't deny the happiness he was feeling, but he still had a duty to hold. He combed through the wings of the castle before arriving at the audience chamber where a problem arose, and Flynn was so sure that he had mapped out the weaknesses of the palace and installed his knights in strategic positions to ensure none could sneak into the castle without alerting at least three or four people. The security was impenetrable to all. With those in mind, there was supposed to be no hole in the net. There was supposed to be no one in the throne room, staring at the frescoes of winged goddesses, their periwinkle hair flying as they circled and danced around the moon carved on the center of the ceiling.

But the man currently standing in the middle of the room, scarlet eyes lazily turning from the beautiful goddesses towards Flynn, he was quite simply _there_. He was existing in a place he wasn't supposed to be in. His red and gold outfit was cloaked in a thin ratty fabric and his hood was down, which was a familiar sight that brought images of the past. Just under the cloak was the handle and hilt of a familiar missing sword, its blade wrapped in swaths of thin cloth. Flynn blinked, and resisted the urge to rub his eyes to confirm that what he was seeing was real, and not some sort of illusion.

"Duke."

The fallen hero nodded in acknowledgement. "I hear tonight is the coronation of the new Emperor and your oathtaking."

"Yes. Will you attend? It would be pleasing to-"

"No," he asserted. "I do not belong to this palace. I remember the last time I set foot in this wretched place." He spun on his heel to look around the room. "A decade ago, I went to kill the Emperor to enact vengeance, but in the end I only found the strength to claim this as recompense." He pushed the hem of his cloak aside to reveal more of the mystical sword hanging off of a makeshift belt.

"You took only Dein Nomos."

"Yet I feel compelled to come here after news of it arrived at my doorstep. It was brought by Brave Vesperia. How fitting that they would be the ones to tell me."

_Yuri told him?_

"On the summit of Tarqaron you told me you want to change the world. And so it has changed... but shall there be more, or will all stagnate?"

Flynn fidgeted. Duke was one of those people he could never read. He could never understand a substantial portion of what he said, his words always shrouded in ambiguity. The man was an enigma greater than the mysteries of the world, and all he knew was that his eyes were blank except for sorrow and hatred running deep. He couldn't figure out whether Duke meant to threaten, or to warn, or was simply wondering out loud.

"I promise it will not cause stagnation. I'll change the world. I'll change everything."

"You still seem to hold hope for a still-cruel world, young Commandant."

"I do." It was true, hope was his drive and the reason why he stayed in the Knights in the first place. His red eyes were on him again, two things piercing his soul.

"I came here to congratulate you, and to wish you the best." That took him completely by surprise. Hard training and experience were the only forces in the world that prevented him from physically doubling back. "The world is undeniably in chaos, and your Knights moreso. I wish to lend you my support, young Commandant, in whatever form you wish of me..."

Duke was being uncharacteristically... kind. He gave off an initial impression of aloofness, and when learning more about him, he was definitely not the kind of man to be soft and, in some other way, caring. "My utmost gratitude, Duke. Speaking of thanks. Weren't you the one who saved Yuri's life in Zaude? I must also thank you from the bottom of my heart that you have done so."

When Duke approached, his movements were like he was floating. He was still ever so graceful. "I do not regret saving his life. He is so young, and yet he showed _me_ a most wonderful thing: a hopeful future. You, and your friends, you possess a vision for a new world where suffering will be lessened. The unwavering resolve you showed me on Tarqaron you must show the rest of the world, if you wish to topple the evils you claim to want to vanquish."

His mind distilled it all as one of the fanciest and most roundabout ways to say, 'don't give up on your hopes and dreams'. Duke might not be aware, but it reminded Flynn a little of Yuri and his tendency to skirt around a subject. He smiled at that.

"I shall strive to make the world a better place for those who have been pushed to the margins of society, and I promise I will make it a reality, however long it would take, however herculean the task." His words seemed to satisfy Duke, and the war hero's eyes softened by several degrees that he no longer felt tense.

"Good." He walked past Flynn, going towards the audience chamber. "I shall establish some way in order for you to be able to contact me whenever you feel you need me."

"I could ask Brave Vesperia. That way I wouldn't need to intrude in your tranquility."

A tiny nod. "Things may change, but that is an acceptable idea. I must leave soon, Commandant. I am not welcome here."

"Duke... please stay. There is still one thing I must ask of you. It is selfish and personal, but there is still one thing I wish to know."

He whirled around. "What is it?"

"Yuri and I were still around eleven years old when you-"

"Captain Flynn!" Sodia's voice rang in the hall, and she emerged from one of the corridors. She seemed very enthusiastic, until she noticed the cloaked figure standing near Flynn. Her hand immediately went to the handle of her sword, but faltered when she noticed her Commandant-to-be was completely relaxed.

"Sodia, meet Duke Pantarei. Please do not be alarmed. He is a friend." The word 'friend' rolled off the tongue peculiarly, but he supposed it was just because Duke never showed a friendly aura, nor was he a friend like he could call Yuri and Estellise.

"So that is her name... Sodia," Duke muttered. Flynn cocked his head and found Duke gazing intently at her with pursed lips and a slight frown.

"Do you know her?" Flynn shot a look back at her, who looked equally as confused as he was.

"I saw her at Zaude's summit."

That was puzzling, and even more puzzling was that Sodia suddenly blanched. In an instant the color of her face drained away. "I see. She was my second-in-command during that time, and may still be after my oaths. That must be why you saw her."

All expression on Duke's face, however faint they were, disappeared in a flash, and the silence between the three of them was so deafening and cold that even Flynn began to feel fear. Duke continued scanning her, head to toe, like he was reading her soul, until he finally turned back to Flynn.

"Despite Yuri loving you with all his heart that he always murmured your name in his sleep, he never told you."

_He knows about us?_ Flynn swallowed, and then spoke. "Is there a problem...?"

"Not many humans know of this story, so listen well, Commandant Flynn Scifo. My friend Elucifer was murdered with impunity by Knights who called themselves righteous warriors for justice. For humanity's sake, they said, as they killed their own ally in front of me without _mercy_." His words were heavy with anger, even though his intonation remained as cold and emotionless as it usually was. His voice trembled more, though. There was no denying the curled fist on his side, only seen because the threadbare cloak didn't cover it. Ice frosted the red irisis of his eyes as well. "There was _no_ justice in the death of one, who had loved humanity, by humans' hands. Even with all my power I could not stop it. I could not even fight it off, there was too much. There is still much pain from the memory of Elucifer's slaughter, as I loved him so."

He was again struck speechless, not knowing what to say, but it was new information that the Imperial Knights carried out the murder of an Entelexeia who sided with humans.

_Alexei...!_

"I will never forget the day humanity betrayed him and me. Even though I have abandoned my antagonism with humans, I cannot forgive." His back turned to him. "I will never forgive as long as I breathe."

"I understand, and I am sorry," Flynn softly said. "I do not know how I, the new Commandant, could ever compensate such a loss. Yet I do not wish to ask for forgiveness from you."

"That was not your fault," he snapped a little too harshly than expected. It seemed his emotions were bubbling up from whence he kept it locked, and they were breaching that barrier. "You were not the one who carried out his death. You were a child, with Yuri, in the Lower Quarter. However, it does seem that even though you wish to reform the Imperial Knights fundamentally, the same evil that killed Elucifer persists. Evil that believes in its own righteousness and then runs away like cowards when their reckoning comes."

He could see that, from the corner of his eye, Sodia was quivering like a bird in the rain, perhaps completely terrified. He could understand, but a question still formed in his head. What on earth was about Sodia that got Duke to rant about betrayal? Was the sight of a knight in uniform enough to fetch that horrible, traumatizing memory, and bring it to the forefront of his mind? It must be it... although it didn't explain why he was so calm with Flynn in his armor, or why he had to mention Zaude before talking about Elucifer.

_Zaude... Yuri. Sodia had been on that platform..._

"Commandant. Your Knights will never betray once more like they betrayed me."

He steeled himself. In the near future, he'd find his answer. "I will see to it, so that no one else would have to suffer. You have my word. I hope to make you proud."

"Good. You do not want the pain I feel. Until we meet again, Commandant Flynn Scifo. Keep Yuri safe, and perhaps fate will be kind to you as it was not for me." Magic swirled in the air around him, engulfing him in its glow.

Yuri... _Yuri! Duke saved Yuri!_ "Duke, wait! I need to know! Do you remember?! Years ago, Yuri and I were hiding in the Lower Quarter after a monster attacked us, and you-"

But Duke was gone in a flurry of light and aer. The magic arte dissipated in dusty particles of green and white, then popped like bubbles in a short moment.

"... you saved Yuri's life the first time..."

All that was left where Duke stood was the howling silence and warm air. The mysterious man had never heard him, had left with the shadows in his heart gripping his soul.

"Was that... the one you had to fight in Tarqaron, Commander?" Sodia asked after she recovered her composure.

"Indeed. Was there also something you needed to say to me before... this?"

"Only that all things are ready, sir."

"Alright. You're dismissed. I'll see you later, Sodia. I need to think something over."

Sodia obeyed a little too quickly than he expected and turned on her heel. Flynn was left alone soon after, and he stared up to the goddesses of legend on the walls, the same one Duke had been looking at. Frozen in their dance around the lunar light, lifting swords up towards the sky and their wings flared out behind them. They did little to distract him from the increasingly disturbing thoughts filling his mind and the knots forming in his stomach and chest.

Duke had loved Elucifer, who had been one of the greatest allies of the Empire despite being Entelexeia. Then, Elucifer had been stabbed in the back by Knights, no doubt mercilessly murdered while Duke had been powerless to stop it. 

That story hit close to home, the pieces of the puzzle slowly slotting together to create a horrible picture, and he could only reject it until he wrenched the truth out of Yuri.

What would happen, though, if what he suspected was true? How would _he_ handle that epiphany?

/**/

It was just around a couple of hours before the ceremony proper. Most high nobles had already arrived, Union (except Altosk—Don Whitehorse, he had heard, had dealt with a monster ambush recently) and Palestralle leaders were already present in their finest uniforms, and Flynn was already tired. Tired of the wrongness of the ceremonial armor and headdress he was wearing, tired of high society, tired of high society _flirting_ with him.

He was beginning to seriously consider eloping with Yuri and leave the world behind. Adopt wolves as their children, but not before trying many, many times. Scream into the caverns about how utterly idiotic his situation was.

"Commandant, what a lovely headdress you wear. It compliments your sapphire eyes."

If that was an attempt of this noblewoman, a countess, to flirt, he already was turned off. Not that his heart already belonged to someone else, no. The excessive batting of her lashes and the fake blush on her face was grinding at his already frayed nerves from his anxiety-filled afternoon, after Duke's unannounced visit and subliminal message. Not to mention, this was a ceremony for Ioder's graduation from _His Highness_ to _His Imperial Majesty_ and it shouldn't be a venue for such things. And 'sapphire eyes'?! The thought of his soft squishy eyeballs replaced with precious crystal terrified him out of his goddamned mind. Spirits of the elements, he did _not_ want gemstones rolling around in his skull. The image of himself in the mirror, staring at himself with cut-and-polished literal sapphires in lieu of his eyes... the utter _horror._

And to top it all off, the Countess of Hell had her two friends too, all three of them trying to seduce him with the beauty of luxury and riches, which he never had an eye for. He still had to hold on to his manners, too. Yuri would have blown them off without a second thought. How he wished to have Yuri's freedom.

Swishing his wine around and looking down at the liquid, light pink at the edges and red at the middle, he inhaled, summoning the patience he was known widely for.

"Thank you," he spoke mechanically and in a practised tone of neutrality.

"You are so good-looking for a commoner, Sir Scifo." Flynn still couldn't get used to being called a 'sir' that wasn't truly about his station, but he said nothing. "You have none of the dirt of the Lower Quarter."

He gnashed his teeth. 

"I hope the Knights would be so agreeable as to protect _us_ , now the blastia is gone."

His response was calculated. "The Knights are doing their best to protect all of the Empire against the dangers that are now more apparent."

"Do you think the giant monster in the sky would have been staved away by the barriers?" One of the women sighed dramatically. "We still could be safe..."

_No, you would be in much more danger._ He put a lid on his temper, and an anvil on top of that lid. Even the highest of nobility didn't know the full details of that plan. As far as everyone else outside of the most powerful people in the world and Aspio knew, the guild Brave Vesperia was tasked to find a way to get rid of the Adephagos. No one knew that all the blastia in the world was needed to kill it. All that was given to them was that blastia had somehow been a side effect.

"Did you not fight that monster, Sir Scifo?"

Flynn had to put his glass down, if only to avoid crushing it in his grip. "I only assisted, milady. It was my friend who delivered the death blow."

"Oh... that scoundrel Lowell, yes? He surely redeemed himself with that act."

The temper rose to the point that it rattled the figurative anvil. He'd have to find another very soon.

"But the blastia went along with that monster! Surely he and his lowly guild friends should be put to death for causing that monster to take away the blastia from us!"

"That 'monster' would have killed us all," a new voice joined in, youthful, boyish, "and had the guild Brave Vesperia never have taken up the courage to defeat it, the world would not exist."

Shocked, the three women bowed low before their would-be Emperor. "Your Highness!"

Ioder was dressed lightly, in a jade shirt embroidered with gold with the insignia of the Empire on his left breast. On the ends of the sleeves was a gold stripe dividing into thinner lines coiling around his arm and ending on a single point on the elbow. He wore white trousers, simply decorated with one long stripe on the left leg from the top to the end. This wasn't Ioder's full getup for the night, Flynn knew, but it was far simpler than what previous rulers wore. There was still a mantle with art of the stars sewn on its fabric, but Ioder could be excused for not wearing it—he should be—since it would be unwieldy to wear outside of the ceremony proper. Flynn only saluted calmly, unthreatened by his presence. 

"My prince."

The crown prince nodded in acknowledgment of Flynn. "I cannot help but overhear slander," Ioder said, all smooth smiles and grace, "and to realize my vision for the Empire I must seek to correct it."

"Slander-!"

"My cousin, your Princess Estellise, was also a part of the party _I_ sent that went to try and defeat it, and I will consider it as an affront to the Crown if you dare say that the Princess must be executed for having saved the world. Such ingrate."

_Harsh!_

"Would you say that dying would be better than living?" Ioder continued, his tongue smouldering coal that grilled the egos of the fearstruck nobles. "I would muse that all life is a precious gift."

"Our apologies, your Highness...!" Their faces held terrified expressions, and under the makeup they would be pale. Ioder swiftly shooed them away but not without imparting them his special gift of a double-meaning; well-wishes and a warning rolled into one. Once they scuttled away, metaphorical tail between legs, the claustrophobic feeling around Flynn dissipated.

"One can clearly sense the palpable tension in your aura while those girls attempted to snatch your heart, Flynn."

He sipped the wine he had neglected, then: "I could not call it a snatching, if I were to be honest. It was dreadful."

That caused Ioder to laugh, eyes bright with much levity. "I suppose catching the fancies of Flynn Scifo would be impossible, because his heart safely rests somewhere else, no?"

Thoughts of Yuri's face danced in his mind. His obsidian eyes. Nightlike hair. Lithe body. Long legs and arms, hands calloused and rough. Heavenly voice carrying unrestrained freedom.

"Come with me, Flynn," was Ioder's simple order, and Flynn trailed behind him as he watched Ioder cut through the sea of people, awed at how they parted at his path. The prince commanded his own kind of power, and he could not help but marvel at the way he wielded it with such finesse and dignity. He could follow on his example, just as how the young man followed him in his kind of leadership; his was a kind but strict one, rewarding the best and weeding out the worst.

Still... how could he command his Knights with a similar if not the same elegance if the seeds of doubt had just been sowed by Duke's story? How could he function and command such an organization if one of the only people he had deemed trustworthy already stabbed his back and left him none the wiser? Questions raged, demanding answers, urging that he rip the truth of Zaude out of Yuri.

Ioder suddenly stopped, and Flynn was about to ask why when the former talked. "Commandant, my Commandant. Are you worried?"

Perplexed, he asked, "Worried?"

"About you and Yuri. I know you two are more than friends."

His jaw went slack. Oh goodness, Yuri was right. Ioder knew. He made a note to never underestimate the young ruler's intellect and sharpness.

"He is here, Flynn. Yuri has come tonight."

Scanning the crowd, he looked for dark hair, and then there he was. All thoughts of interrogating Yuri on what happened in Zaude vanished as soon as he laid eyes on a figure mingling with his guild and Lady Estellise—high collar, bright red cape and backskirt, knee-high silver boots, and most importantly midnight hair held high up by a tie and decorated with long pins that fanned out like a crown.

Then Yuri just had to turn his head around and meet his gaze. Flynn's heart skipped several beats at his utter beauty he thought he'd faint. He thought already that Yuri was so good-looking with his hair down and freely flying in the wind, but that was rendered wrong, especially when locks of hair framed his face so perfectly. And all Flynn wanted to do was touch him and kiss him, but he glanced sideways to the prince first, interrogating wordlessly.

"Go with him, Flynn. This is a celebration in your honor as well. You have the right to be happy and not be accosted by people trying to have their chances with you."

"Your Highness..."

"Are you afraid that his past will stain you? In my eyes, it matters not, especially that I have forgiven him."

"It... is more complicated than just a simple indelible mark on me. It wouldn't even be a mark I would mind."

"Oh? I seem to have guessed incorrectly at why you two must be so discreet."

"Yuri is testing me, your Highness. I still seem to have to prove to him I would not mind him at my side."

Ioder made a noise of realization. "I have my conjectures, but those would intrude into your personal lives."

"I just think he's thinking too lowly of himself and too highly of me."

"I suppose it fits his character. Then, if I could propose in a friendly manner, you should dance with him."

"A dance? I don't-" _Know if he still remembers how to dance._

"Tonight is the one opportunity, Flynn. Use it. I will be right behind you, Commandant." A reassuring tone, along with a nice little pat on the back. "You clearly love him. Go. Ask him."

Ioder would have pushed him if he didn't move, so Flynn strode forward. Undeniably the feelings of confusion still lingered, but knowing that the _Emperor_ of all people supported him and Yuri, he felt a little more confident. His head high, he approached the love of his life who was chowing down on many sweet confections and pastries.

"Hey, Flynn." Yuri held up a half-eaten cupcake. "Your moving up party has some of the best shit, by the way."

"What a greeting," Flynn laughed, before stepping forward with arms held up.

"Wait, wait, before you hug me, lemme put this down first. Wouldn't want to get your fancy armor ruined by frosting." He set it down on the high table and then allowed Flynn to embrace him. Their hug lasted a bit longer than what others might assume as friendly, and when they disengaged, Yuri's hands remained on Flynn's arms.

"I'm so glad to see you. And you wore the free paladin outfit, too."

He held his arms out and twirled on the ball of his foot. "You like it?"

"Yeah." His eyes were drawn to the gray on his abdomen, not quite hugging his form, but enough to flaunt the form of his slender body. His hands ached to grasp his waist, but he stifled the urge. The royal red skirt accentuated his hips, and combined with the blazer that ended just below the ribs, it created an illusion of a curves. Flynn ogled him, appreciating the beauty standing before him and murmuring, "So beautiful."

"Huh. I thought it looked horrible on me."

"No, Yuri, it looks great on you!" Karol exclaimed. "It just looks great on you and you better accept that!

The princess joined in Karol's vehement disagreement, placing a dainty hand on his shoulder. "Look at you! You look elegant. You even tied your hair up! I didn't expect that but it really brings out your handsome face, Yuri."

"I was the one to tie his hair up," Judith piped up, grinning in pride at her work. "I even picked out the hairpins myself. Gold metal and red glass."

"I like the pins, thank you very much, but it's just that wearing a knight uniform isn't my thing."

Estelle balked. "But you have the heart of a knight, so you should be proud of it!"

Blushing, Yuri restored to scratching his head, only to hit the hairpins stuck in his hair. His hand was lightly slapped off and away from his head by his Krityan friend.

"I worked hard on putting your hair up, and I won't tolerate seeing it get ruined." She then looked pointedly at Flynn, making the latter feel like she really could see through him and read his mind. Did Krityans have powers beyond reading hidden script and communicating with Entelexeia?

"Yeah, yeah. I'm not removing them. I just- it feels weird to feel my hair swish like this. My ears are freezing off, too."

"Where is the scarf I bought you last night?" Flynn asked.

"With Karol."

Karol opened his bag and fished out the cashmere scarf colored with a fusion of blues and purples. "You really should wear it if you're freezing, Yuri." 

"It doesn't look nice with the red-"

Estelle tutted, took the scarf out of Karol's grasp, and wrapped it around Yuri's neck. "See? It's fine."

"But the red-"

"I'll go back to my room and get something that looks really bad with my burgundy gown, so that way, we can be mismatched together!"

"I think I'd like to also be mismatched," Judith said.

"I'll be sure to find something tragically bad!"

Yuri sighed. "Fine, do your thing."

Estelle yelped happily and then raced back to her quarters, heels clacking and a fierce determination in her eyes. 

"Really, Judy? You had to bully me?"

"Estelle was already bullying you very well. I decided to get at least one kick in."

"You girls are horrible."

"Well, if you just agreed to wear the scarf, Estelle wouldn't have to do that," Karol said.

"Besides, do you really not want to wear what Flynn got for you?" Judith stretched her lips into a smile. "I know you think it's important."

Flynn glanced over to the red-faced Yuri, and then found it amusing that Yuri only muttered, "It's very important."

Judith then turned her smile to Flynn, like she was saying, _'I know you know I know you're glad to hear that'._ Flynn cleared his throat and tugged on the top of the turtleneck undershirt he wore. Fortunately for him and maybe also for Yuri, Karol halted the conversation about Yuri's mismatched scarf by frantically pointing to someone in the distance.

"Oh hey, it's Raven! Raven!" Karol excitedly waved to the old man, curiously looking much less scraggly than usual. He was decked in an asymmetrical dress shirt that had a diagonal cut from his neck to somewhere to the middle of his side, dividing the black and white fabric. The emblem of Altosk was printed on the sides of his sleeves. Hanging from his belt was sword that doubled as a collapsed bow, although there was no quiver of arrows in sight. It was possible that Raven only needed a sword, anyway; it's very difficult to fight in close quarters with only a bow.

"Hey!" Raven pointed back at them and quickly cut his way to Karol. He then went to display his strength in a laughably awful manner by picking the poor kid up like a fond father. He failed to lift Karol up for more than a few inches off the ground. There was a badly audible crack and pop somewhere in the old man's bones, but nevertheless he still ruffled Karol's hair. "Hey, kids! I missed ya!"

"We... last saw each other yesterday."

"We have been apart for twenty-six hours and nineteen minutes! I cannot help but feel so estranged from you."

"You... made that time up."

"Sure I did." That was the moment when Raven finally stopped tousling the young boss' hair. "By the way, Karol, Harry wants you to stand with him later as Brave Vesperia's leader."

"Oh wow, really?! Oh gosh, oh no, I haven't practiced anything!"

Raven patted the young leader's back. "Hey, you'll be fine! I'll help you out. When Harry's back in, let's meet 'im and rehearse a bit, alright?" When Karol nervously nodded (all the while seemingly proud of himself, judging from the unique way he puffed up and shrank down at the same time), Raven chuckled, then turned to greet the others. He only winked at Flynn and Yuri, before putting on a lovestruck smirk for Judith. "Judy darlin'."

"Why, good evening, Raven," Judith said.

"I have to say, dear, I love your dress. It looks wonderful on your figure."

Judith briefly glanced downward to her gown, white strapless bodice with a plunging neckline, bordered on her waist with a simple gray sash that held a rod (her own collapsible staff) on her back, then a knee-length black skirt. "Thank you, Raven."

Raven turned to Yuri, looked the younger man up and down, then remarked, "Yuri, I'm sure ya'd look equally as pretty as Judy, but lose the scarf. It doesn't fit with the red."

"Gee, thanks, old man. It's not like I already don't want to bash my face in to this table."

"Don't bash it, I'm sure Flynn appreciates yer face quite a lot."

Flynn did a double take. Even _Raven_ gives off the vibes he knew about their mutual attraction. Did Judith talk to him? Or was it... was it really just so obvious? Oh well. "I also appreciate seeing Yuri in the scarf I bought him. I think purple and blue looks wonderful with red." That made Yuri gape at him open-mouthed, the red on his cheeks steadily rising.

"Heh," Yuri managed to chuckle despite himself, "you're a little sweet."

"Guys!" Estelle's voice called out. Everyone looked over to her, dragging a newly-arrived Rita with her and a sash on her arm. She herself had picked a rainbow colored lace scarf for the summer that she'd rolled into a thin stripe and hung on her shoulder. "I have horribly tacky accessories!"

"Disgustingly terrible," Judith laughed as the princess gave her a neon shawl that looked like it could be one of Rita's more ridiculous-looking sashes. "See? Now Yuri's not alone. Tacky solidarity."

"And hello, Raven!" Estelle happily gave the old man a hug, and Raven patted her back equally as happily. Flynn marvelled—Raven had been one of the reasons why she had suffered under Alexei, but she forgave him anyway.

Forgiveness. His smile fell. Princess Estellise was forced to weather mental torture because of her powers, and she wouldn't have gone through that ordeal had it not for Raven's (Schwann's) betrayal. Flynn himself was thrown into unimaginable and unfathomable grief because of Yuri, and he wouldn't have had to experience that had Sodia— _I hope it isn't her_ —never pushed Yuri off of Zaude in the first place. And if he was right, before the fall, he was even stabbed too. Stabbed through the liver. The intent to kill him was crystal clear.

He looked to Yuri, who was laughing with his friends as they teased one another about how bad they looked. Summoning his courage, he tapped on Yuri's shoulder, and said, "Yuri, a word? Outside, in the gardens."

"... okay, sure." Yuri told the others he'd be gone for a little while and wolfed down the last cupcake he had hoarded before walking with Flynn out of the stuffy castle and into the outdoor garden. Snow fell in small flakes from the sky, and the chilly breeze sent them swirling about. There were other people milling about. Couples looking for peaceful places free of noise, those who wanted to speak with their circles without the chatter that bounced around within walls, and those who simply wanted fresh air.

"Where's Repede?" Flynn said first to break the silence between them.

"With Patty."

"Oh. Where is Patty?"

"Around. She's trying to avoid the party since, well, a few people know she's 'Aifread's granddaughter'," he said with air quotes. "She volunteered to dogsit."

"I see. Come, sit here." Flynn sat first on the stone bench and patted the place beside him. Yuri experimentally touched the stone first to gauge its temperature before seating himself. "I want to ask you a couple of things."

"Shoot."

"Duke visited earlier today, Yuri."

"Oh, he did?"

"Yeah. He said congratulations to me."

"You sure it's him? Doesn't sound like him to me."

"I know, it was surreal. But he also said something else that I think we really should talk about as soon as possible, because I really would appreciate having some peace of mind as the Commandant of the Imperial Knights." He took Yuri's hands in his own, and mustered up the courage to say what bogged his mind since Duke left. "So. Duke knows who tried to kill you on Zaude."

"What?!" Yuri growled, deep frown forming on his face. Flynn never liked that look on him. "I didn't know about that. He told you?!"

"No, he didn't divulge the identity of your murderer. But he gave me a stern lecture. Yuri, he said Elucifer was murdered by the Knights. He said he loved him too."

Confusion was painted on his expression. "I _know_ that-"

"Do you know how strangely similar it is to what happened to you, to us?" Yuri was immediately struck speechless. "Yuri... I can feel Duke's still grieving over it. I believe the way he acted before we beat some sense into him was because he didn't get closure and any sort of happiness in _ten years_. And I think it's fucking traumatic to have witnessed someone you love get slaughtered in front of you while you can't even do a thing to save them even though you had all the power in the world. 

"Please, think about me. _I_ was Acting Commandant. And I know it's one of my people who tried to kill you. I had all the power to protect you, too, but you still fell off of Zaude, and you even got stabbed for it." His eyes flooded with hot tears as he grabbed Yuri's shoulders. Goodness, he wasn't supposed to start bawling. It was just supposed to be a little talk. He had to bite his lips to prevent himself from sobbing out loud, right before his own ceremony and in public. "I thought you were fucking _dead_. There was even supposed to be a goddamn funeral-"

"Should you really be talking about this right before your ceremony?" Yuri thumbed away the moisture on his cheeks. "Let's leave this for later, Fly-"

"It hurts so much to think about that time, but... tomorrow I'll have all the rights and powers I need... so tell me. Tell me the name of the one who tried to kill you."

"Just so you can have some grasp of control?"

"I need _closure._ " At the back of his mind he hoped his tears and his promise would push Yuri into confirming it for him. He thought, it might be a bit manipulative, but it was just once. Just once. It was for the better. "Please. Tell me."

"You don't need to protect me."

"Why must you think it's just about you? It's about me, too. I need to be able to fully trust my people to be the Commandant you want me to be."

"I'd be breaking the promise I made to that knight, Flynn."

"That's not fair. You favor a traitor over me."

A sharp intake of air. "I don't _favor,_ in fact I _hate_ that traitor."

"Then why won't you just admit to me that Sodia tried to murder you on Zaude?"

The hitch in Yuri's breath and the deafening silence that followed basically confirmed it for Flynn. Sodia, his second-in-command, his confidant, the closest friend he had in the Knights, she had betrayed him that day, and tried to take away the light of his life. She was there, patting his back and bringing him food and water while he dealt with the worst of his grief. She was there, listening to him cry and rant about his perceived failures to Yuri. She was there, helping him function every single day while he picked his own mind's shattered pieces up. And, hell, all the while she was one of the people who helped him and _she turned out to be the culprit?!_ She had stabbed him in the back and for what? Flynn knew he'd plainly said to her that, had Yuri turned out dead, he'd kill his murderer as soon as he found out. But Yuri was alive. What was he going to do? Should he still demand her life? Should she be punished so severely? He gnashed his teeth and cursed his broken heart. _Why did it have to happen?_

"Flynn," Yuri said, penetrating the haze despite the low volume of his voice, "I'm so sorry."

"What... are you sorry for?"

"... everything."

Biting his lips again Flynn leaned forward to rest his head on Yuri's shoulder, but it was unfortunately foiled by the winged tiara-thing on his head digging into flesh. The mood was effectively spoiled.

"You really just need to take that off for now."

"No. It'll be difficult to style my hair back if I remove it- hey..." He flailed a hand to stop Yuri, but Yuri was a little too fast and had more control over his emotions. He yanked the thing out of his head, and then pulled him back to his shoulder.

"You shouldn't think about this, Flynn. Come on. It's a happy night."

"But Sodia-"

"Is going to be dealt with soon, but not tonight."

In spite of the emotions—and even the memories thereof—of anger, sorrow, and guilt, Flynn rationalized that Yuri was indeed right. There were a lot of more important things than dealing with a betrayal that didn't end up going through. Yuri had somehow lucked out big time, with Duke somehow having been at the right place at the right time. What was important was that Yuri's heart was beating and his body was warm. Important things like Ioder needing his Commandant to be there to dub him were his top priority. The party wouldn't start without him, suffice to say. He wiped his tears, hoping his tiny crying session didn't ruin his minimal makeup.

_But still..._

"Why did you keep it from me all this time?"

"I guess it's to avoid this. You didn't deserve it. She's a perfect knight, and you'd need her with you."

"But she tried to-"

"You need someone in the Knights you can rely on, and who's the best one, Flynn?"

"But I need you, too." He grasped Yuri's hand shakily. "Even if you call yourself dirty or a criminal, I love you. Can't I also have some happiness in my personal life?" He felt Yuri shift then. Whether it was from discomfort, or just a mundane reason as his leg getting numb, it didn't really matter when he replied.

"I.. also didn't think I deserved you. I'm a criminal..."

Hearing that, Flynn looked up and gave a reproachful smile. "There you go again."

"I go what now?" Flynn could clearly see he feigned ignorance, but he let this slide.

"Trying to convince yourself you don't deserve me."

Yuri winced at that, brows furrowing for a slight moment. "Do I?"

"Yes," he answered with so much conviction that his tears immediately dried out. He straightened himself back out (and put the winged headdress back on in the process). "Yuri, you deserve me. You're a good person, you saved so many lives. You taught me about things I have forgotten. You always hammer in facts when I couldn't find them." He continued rattling out an impromptu list of all of what he admired in him, and then ending with: "And I know you love me back."

"Flynn..."

"And don't you dare think that I wouldn't put aside my duties if ever you agree to be my lover."

"Boyfriend, Flynn." He wore an exasperated smirk. "I'm not a mistress."

"Ah- boyfriend. Sorry. But Yuri, if I fall in love with you, I wouldn't give a damn if anyone thinks badly of me for loving you. Those nobles can go fuck off."

Yuri chuckled in amusement at Flynn's outburst. "Are you sure?"

"I'm damn sure, Yuri. I know I've basically said this numerous times, but I won't stop telling you that. I really, really wouldn't mind dealing with the more unaccepting ones. I'm already sure they already dislike me holding office, you know."

Yuri bit his lips and exhaled heavily, a cloud of condensed breath blowing over their faces. Their fingers laced together. "Not gonna lie. It makes me happy you think that."

"I-"

The tolling of bells rudely interrupted them. Yuri jumped in his seat at the sudden loud sound, and Flynn frantically adjusted his headdress. Those outside stopped like they had, and slowly trickled back inside the palace walls.

"What the hell was that?"

"Ah. That's the signal the ceremony will start in a few minutes."

"Oh. You should go." He stood up and pulled Flynn up to drag him back inside.

"One last thing, Yuri."

"Hmm?"

"Would you dance with me later?" He flushed as he finally popped the question, and was glad that Yuri nodded, but not before blinking for a moment, as if he was still processing the question.

"Yeah. We can dance for a bit, but just for a little while. I won't stand for being ogled at by the richies."

Flynn would have snapped at that disrespect, but he had little time. The bells were ringing and he had to go. He just blew a kiss to Yuri before hurrying back into the palace and hopefully get his hair back under control.

/**/

Ioder's coronation happened like it lasted for a blink of an eye. One moment he was still putting on the mantle of the Emperor, then the next he was holding the orb and rod that symbolized power. Then the Council put the crown of Zaphias on his head. A speech by Ioder, something about a new age and a lovely alliance with their past enemies. There were cheers as the leaders of the Union gathered in front of the people, with a jittery but prideful Karol among them. The treaty was signed then and there, leading to more applause. 

Then Flynn was up, marching in his beautiful glory. He took an oath, knelt down, got tapped on the shoulders by the newly-crowned Emperor, and lastly he was given the crest of his station. Then Flynn got to do his own rehearsed spiel, his promise to the people and to the Knights as their new Commandant, but not before inserting a completely impromptu dedication to Yuri. Flynn met Yuri's gaze as he told the rest of the guests the summary of the latter's good and heroic deeds that inspired him, too. He just had to refrain from bursting into laughter as Raven grabbed Yuri's head and locked it under his arm before (carefully) rubbing the top of his head and whooping. Even worse was that the _Princess Estellise_ joined in the unruly cheering, clapping happily without a care.

The dancing was next on the programme, and Flynn swore he heard several gasps of surprise as he walked right up to Yuri, grasped his hand, and brought it up to his lips to kiss the knuckles. He did this whilst Yuri was angrily blushing, in spite of his inner fears not being realized by Flynn's sudden romantic act. The castle didn't erupt into complete bedlam like he'd been afraid of. A lowly peasant of the Lower Quarter dancing with the newly-ascended Commandant hadn't caused pandemonium and scandal. Instead it seemed like only a handful were obviously surprised. Their friends didn't even pay much attention, and it they did, it was with many smiles.

Flynn made sure to trap Yuri in his charm; he could notice how anxious Yuri was feeling. His hand was clammy and his eyes betrayed dread. He didn't banish his unease with a very public kiss—hew knew Yuri was not yet welcome to the idea—but he did it by whispering 'just look at me'. With a gulp, Yuri only nodded. Althroughout the waltz, Yuri was as red as the capelet and half-skirt he wore and held a glower that screamed 'I can't believe you did that', much to Flynn's amusement. To him, he was being extremely adorable, and he really had to hold back kissing him there. Despite a lack of practice, Yuri was still graceful in his steps, albeit perhaps missing a few beats then and there, but he let the blond lead him in places he wasn't familiar with. 

The orchestra then ended their first song with a long pull of bows. The dance also did with the dancers bowing to each other. Yuri still remembered how to curtsy, Flynn noticed. And just as soon as they dispersed, Yuri yanked Flynn's arm to whisper, his earlier foul mood having already been dispelled by the last notes of the music.

"Can we go to your fancy new Commandant quarters?"

Flynn blinked. "Huh? Why?"

"I need to tell you something and I don't want anyone to eavesdrop on us."

"Uh, okay. Follow me." Flynn took Yuri's wrist in his grasp, then led him to the dimly lit halls of the palace where almost no one was except knights patrolling the area. While they trudged on, Flynn wondered about just what Yuri was going to tell him, but somehow, he was excited.


	6. Chapter 6

The two men reached Flynn's new room, a little further into the castle than his old one. Two knights were stationed near it.

"Commandant!" They both saluted in place at sync with each other. "Do you wish to retire now, sir?"

"Yes. And if you would not mind, please leave us. My friend and I need to discuss a private matter. Don't worry about him. It's just Yuri Lowell."

The two glanced at each other for a brief moment. "Yes, sir!" And off they went, scuttling away from the door to stand guard at the ends of the hallway instead.

"Why did you feel a need to tell them my full name, _Flynn Scifo_?"

A chuckle. "Everyone knows who you are. Zaude. Also, I talked about you a lot."

"Ah."

Flynn turned the knob and welcomed Yuri inside. "I just want to show you my new office, by the way. Didn't have the time for it earlier when you arrived."

"Ooh. Pretty big room you have here." He whistled at the sheer size of the office. "Wasn't this Alexei's office too?"

"Yeah, and it's actually kind of bigger than I thought it was before I moved in."

"Still a bit bare."

"I haven't really gotten around to designing the space. What do you think about decorating with plants?"

"That's a good idea. Ooh, what's that door lead into?" Yuri zoomed towards the door to the left and turned the knob. He peeked in. "Oh, it's just the toilet. A bourgeoisie toilet."

The blond snickered. "This other one leads into my new bedroom." Flynn cocked his head towards the other door. "Anyway. Why did you want to talk with me in private?"

Yuri shut the toilet's door, then sauntered towards Flynn. "Time for your gift, Flynn." He landed a kiss on Flynn's lips, surprising the latter for the first few moments of their kiss, but eventually they relaxed into it. And as before, it was Yuri who deepened the kiss. Their hands went up to caress each other's backs, with Flynn's settling on the back of Yuri's neck and Yuri's own hand on his new lover's cheek.

When they broke apart, it was the blond who stammered first.

"Yuri, does this mean...?" He looked straight into his beloved's dark eyes, and was met with a gaze full of love.

"Idiot." Yuri bumped his forehead on Flynn's. "It still takes more than a damn kiss to get you to understand the simple thing that I'm agreeing to be your boyfriend."

Flynn was promptly out of words for a while, staring stupidly until his brain cooperated with his mouth. "You... what convinced you?"

"When you confessed in Aurnion, I wasn't so sure because, well, maybe you just felt extra affection for me because I went missing for weeks. Then you, well, you showed me just how much you considered things for me. You're thoughtful. You just didn't treat me like some kind of senseless fling."

"I won't ever treat you like that. You're important to me."

"Right, that too. You're... so good to me. And when you said earlier that you'll be okay even with me around, well," he shrugged a bit, "I know I could trust you when you say those kinds of things. Guess I just got scared by some inevitable heartbreak if you decide that you don't love me anymore, stuff like that. 

"But I know you. You wouldn't just be that cruel to do all those things for me then just leave me, even with the pressure from nobility. So? Congratulations, you've finally convinced me, sunshine. Let's be together like you wanted... so take me."

The happiest of grins split Flynn's face as he dove in to claim Yuri with a long, drawn-out kiss. His arms snaked around his new boyfriend and clutched him tight, leaving him unable to slip away. Both of them grunted in each other's mouths when Yuri pulled both of them to the other door. He fumbled for the knob as he ravaged Flynn's mouth as best as he could, and once he finally opened the door, he pulled them inside, Flynn slammed his new lover on the door to close it and caress his waist. Then Flynn was getting Yuri to the top of his new bed, with the former sitting at the edge of the mattress and the latter seated on his lap. Flynn couldn't even stop the smile he sported once he pulled back, especially that he found him blink in his daze.

"You look like you just won the grand prize, Commandant," Yuri finally whispered once he broke out of his trance.

"I just won your heart."

"Won my- oh my _fucking_ goodness." He shot him a sneer, making the latter laugh. Flynn pecked at his lips once, twice, thrice, four times, until the recipient of the kiss stretched his head back as far as possible to dissuade him from kissing him further. When Flynn decided to place his kisses on the skin of his neck, he couldn't stop the shiver that went down his spine. "You're the honey romantic type. Uncool."

"Did the past few weeks never prove that already?"

"I _thought_ you were just doing these stupid things to court me like I'm a prissy lady. I didn't think you were a hundred percent honey."

"And..." he drew out the vowel as long as possible with the silliest of tones, "you happen to like sweets very much."

"Not sweet boyfriends."

"Oh, I will make you love sweet boyfriends, my muffin dear."

Yuri slapped his arm. "I'm not giving you head even if you douse yourself with honey!"

Laughing, Flynn booped his nose. "Sweetie darling."

"I am breaking up with you." His cheeks were gaining an interesting scarlet color, and yet Flynn didn't stop. 

"Apple pie of my eye." He plucked out the elegant pins Judith painstakingly placed and slid off the elastic holding long hair up, and dropped it on the floor. Caressing the silky strands he kissed his cheek.

"Stop that..."

"Confection of perfection."

"You're _ridiculous._ "

"I know. I love you so much." 

Even when still pouting in annoyance, Yuri grabbed Flynn's face to kiss him, laving his tongue on his lips as soon as they made contact together. It was downright criminal that Yuri, a virgin who had probably never kissed anyone before, knew some things about how to make out. Perhaps it was the product of years of fantasy and pining. He wasn't about to complain, anyway.

Flynn moaned into the kiss, and let his hands fall on Yuri's slender waist, thumbs drawing circles on cloth-covered skin. They pulled away for the shortest of moments to breathe in some air before kissing again, showing each other their passion for one another through plays of tongue and lips and even teeth. Flynn mostly dominated it, having had more of the necessary experience, and Yuri followed him gladly. 

Despite the blond being so much better in one more thing, Yuri didn't mind. It was as if he could really think anyway, since the only love of his life somehow was currently nipping at his bottom lip. 

Flynn diverted his kisses downward, landing on his chin, then the line of his jaw, and kissing along the curve from his chin to his ear.

"I love you, Yuri," he whispered sweetly into his ear, making the latter shiver.

Before Yuri could say anything about that, a surprised gasp made its way out of his mouth once Flynn's deft fingers dove under the front of his jacket and unclasped the hooks keeping the front panels together. He pushed the jacket off his shoulders, and moved downward to pull the hem of the gray shirt underneath out of his pants. Upon releasing the hidden hem he explored inside, the tips of his fingers massaging the scarred skin of Yuri's sides and stomach and finding uneven softness.

"Wait, wait, Flynn... hold on..."

He immediately withdrew his questing hands, still having been unable to make contact with surely-hot flesh under the shirt. "Yuri? Do you want me to stop?"

"No," he snapped, and then sighed on Flynn's shoulder. "Just... it's my first time. I'm getting a bit nervous."

He placed a little kiss on the side of his head, on his dark hair. "Do you want to hold this off? We can always do this another time."

"No. Let's just... go slow. I know you've wanted me for so long... and I have, too." He inhaled and exhaled, his entire face going even redder. "I want you."

Flynn kissed him tenderly. "I want you, too. I need you."

"Please don't stop."

"I won't, but first, how about we set some rules-"

"You're _so_ obsessed with rules. Just make love to me." Yuri echoed the words 'make love' quietly to himself, unused to their power and meaning.

"Th-this is intimacy, Yuri! People don't like doing some things in bed, you know, l-like, well, um, I don't like being bitten down there," he saw Yuri wince at the mental image of that, "and maybe you don't like being bitten anywhere. I don't want to do things to you that you don't want me to do, now we're crossing to consummate this..."

Yuri went silent for a while, thinking. "I have to confess, Flynn, I never really thought of that... I only thought you can have your way with me and I wouldn't mind." He lifted a hand to caress Flynn's cheek. "But you, you're so sweet. You'll stop when I say 'stop', right?"

"Yes. I will." He pecked at the junction of neck and jaw before licking at that spot, earning him a gratified moan from Yuri. "Now why don't you spell out what your fantasies are for your first time?" After murmuring those words into his ear, he _felt_ Yuri's breath catch in his throat, judging from the way the man of his dreams spasmed. "I'll make your wildest dreams come true." He pulled Yuri's shirt over his head, maneuvered his slender body onto the white sheets, and glanced down to memorize his exposed body–chest, stomach, arms, shoulders–and the imperfections on them such as his scars and dots of red, while he unclasped the straps of his ceremonial armor. His gauntlets fell off, then his shoulder plates, then his headdress. Gloves were stripped off his arms, his capelet next, then his chestplate. He kicked off his boots and greaves and socks. All pieces of ornate armor tumbled to the cold floor without care and without attention.

Yuri looked like he was going to explode like a balloon while he watched the man of his desires strip right before him, but he managed to stammer out his cloudy thoughts as Flynn stroked his bare arms from wrist to shoulder as gently and lightly as possible. "The only... the only things I know for sure... for my first time is that you'd find me beautiful it makes you want me, and you'd take me gently like you treat me like the most precious thing in the world, and then you'd tell me I'm yours," he gasped shortly and shivered when his new lover bent and nipped at his shoulder. Those were simple fantasies, but at the same time bearing an intricacy. And if Flynn couldn't fulfill them, who was he?

"Let me show you just how much I love you," Flynn all but growled into his ear, and Yuri had to try suppressing more of those shivers. His bluish-gray tunic was next to go, followed by the turtleneck undershirt he wore. He was half naked, and like his lover, his cheeks were flushed as he saw Yuri look over him.

"Please. Allow me to see how perfect you are." His fingers flicked at the clasps fastening Yuri's skirtlike tail, removing them with no effort. Then, after pushing Yuri to lie down on the bed and pulling off his boots, they travelled to the waistband of his pants, grabbed all layers of fabric, and pulled down roughly, leaving Yuri with nary a stitch on his body.

Flynn's sharp gaze trailed from his lover's ankles up to knees, spotting the faint and old childhood scar of the first time he had almost died. Yuri folded up a leg, and his hand went down over his crotch as if to very shyly preserve his modesty, and so he relieved himself of the last of his own clothing. Now both of them were bare in front of each other, and Flynn found himself being scanned from head to toe by Yuri, Yuri's eyes resting on his erection too many times to count. He climbed on the bed, on his knees between Yuri's legs, taking in the sight of Yuri fully naked beneath him: an arm thrown up over his head and dishevelled hair fanning out under his head. Once he nudged away the hand partially covering his hardness, he absent-mindedly licked his lips, and then planted his hands firmly on either side of his lover.

"Beautiful."

Dark eyes widened at the sensual utterance of that word and he would have yelped in surprise when Flynn shifted his weight forward on his hands and kissed him. He remained frozen beneath his warm body as he was peppered on the face with wet kisses and sloppy licks, and he loudly gasped when Flynn's hips lowered, allowing their bare lengths to touch for the first time. He mewled when Flynn bucked his hips forward, the friction combined with Flynn's warm weight almost too much to handle. 

"Ah, shit, that feels good," Yuri said breathlessly. His hands gingerly went up to grasp Flynn's shoulders, trembling as fingers dug into hard muscled flesh. "Mm... I... I'm... close..."

"You're sensitive."

For once Yuri was out of words to speak. He only was able to communicate through pleased sounds and hands gripped on blond hair. His splayed legs tensed and tried to close, but Flynn was in the way. Flynn rolled his hips into Yuri, quietly grunting at the texture of the other man's turgid cock rubbing against him. His body fell forward to crush his lover in his heat and to pant right beside his ear whilst he revelled at the sensation of ecstasy shooting through his body, starting from the tip of his cock to his spine, to his shoulders and to the pads of his fingers, then down to his toes. He could listen to the unending panting and feel in the shaky convulsing of the man beneath his body.

He hadn't even penetrated Yuri and all of his own dreams about him on his bed were already fulfilled. Yuri writhing under his body and begging for more.

Flynn frotted once more, then he abruptly felt something wet splash onto his stomach. Looking down in delight he noted the flushed complexion of Yuri's skin and the white liquid ejaculated from his cock. "You _are_ sensitive."

"I last longer on my own, you know. It's just you."

Now it was Flynn's turn to turn scarlet. What he'd just heard was an admission that bolstered his ego as well as fill his heart with so much fluff. Knowing that he could bring Yuri to orgasm just because he was himself made him puff up in pride and love. An idea flashed in his head, and he smirked down at Yuri, stretching catlike on top of him and kissing his neck. "I should get you cleaned up first."

"What-" He promptly shut up as Flynn kissed a line from his throat, through the ridge of his collarbone, and to the middle of his neck. His tongue slid out and over his flesh, catching come in his mouth and lapping up his release hungrily. Fingers played and twisted his erect nipples, making him moan. Flynn grinned against his skin as he thought, _Yuri must be thinking this is hot._ He closed his eyes and swept his tongue greedily at the splattered dots of come all over his lover and went lower and lower.

When his lips brushed against a thin rope of oddly soft flesh different from the texture of skin, he lifted his head to investigate. He had kissed the scar just below the ribs, then suddenly noting it was just as wide as how a standard Knight-issue sword blade was, and the bitterness on his tongue strengthened tenfold. He thumbed the line of scar tissue, making Yuri hiss in surprise. "Flynn."

"I'm sorry. I... got sidetracked." Questions were threatening to pop out of his mouth yet again, yet his frown melted away when he felt warm fingers brush against his cheek, and then an even warmer palm.

"I'm here. I'm alive. Don't think about this first."

"I swear I'll deal with this." Thoughts about just what he'd do after he was done with the night flooded his mind, but they were thwarted by Yuri's throaty voice, filled with thrill.

"I know. But now, please. Me first."

How could he say no to that? He wanted nothing more than to service Yuri and make him feel _great._ Obediently continuing his downward journey, he kissed and sucked on skin, and sometimes caught flesh with his teeth to mark his belly with light crescents. Yuri's hands were kneading on his shoulders, impatience in his touch, so he answered that by abruptly pulling Yuri even closer to the edge of the bed, ass almost hanging off of the mattress. Flynn stood up immediately and perused his nightstand drawer for something, confusing Yuri.

"What are you-"

"Lubricant." He retrieved a little bottle of clear liquid from the bottom drawer. "I bought it just after Aurnion's naming."

Yuri blinked. "You were really banking on me saying yes, weren't you?"

He shook his head. "I knew you were, but I have my tastes when I am lonely at night." He knelt down on the floor and maneuvered Yuri's legs to rest on his shoulders. "Always thought of you every night, Yuri."

"Pervert."

Flynn only laughed quietly before uncorking the bottle and upending it to pour some all over his fingers. On the spur of the moment he realized just how close to his face Yuri's length was, still hard and resting on his stomach. He licked his lips as he noted that the tip of his erection rested just near the navel, then he ran his eyes from the shape of the head to the veins of his shaft and lastly on the hairs at the base. He memorized the shape of his balls, and when his eyes fell upon his hole for the first time, all he wanted was to surge forward and lick it once or twice, but stopped himself from it. There would be a time for that.

A lubed finger prodded at the puckered and surely tight entrance of Yuri's ass, his mind still disbelieving of the fact that Yuri was lying naked on his bed and waiting for him to take him. His gaze met Yuri's eyes, which were half-lidded at the sensation of his finger circling his entrance.

"Just take it slow," Yuri reminded as Flynn became brave enough to push one finger in. He felt muscle clench around the foreign object, and briefly marvelled at how _different_ it felt like to stick a finger inside a man. He twisted the digit inside of him, pushing against the walls as Yuri blinked and breathed deeply.

"You alright?"

"Yeah." He took this as the signal to add one more finger, which then made Yuri twitch and curse. It was unbelievably tight inside his ass, so it was a little hard to stretch him. Flynn imagined how Yuri would have been feeling down there, trying to get an idea of what it felt like to be fingered and stretched, and acted accordingly. In his imagination it would be fine to scissor and curl his fingers in a come-hither motion. He still paid attention to how Yuri arched and gasped at his ministrations, keeping a watchful eye on his face and adjusting whether he made a pained expression when he stretched too much or curled his lips into a smile when he did it just right. He twisted his fingers and fondled against something odd in texture and shape, and he would have contemplated on what it was had Yuri not writhed and damn near shrieked.

"S-shit, do that again!" Flynn obeyed the order he was given and sat back happily as his continued driving his fingers to attend to that spot. _So that's the prostate._ As he stimulated that area, he almost giggled to himself when he saw Yuri's cock twitch and leak fluid. He nuzzled his cheek on the top of Yuri's right thigh, inhaling the musk of his crotch and hearing the squelch of his fingers ramming in and out and the howls of enjoyment from having his most sensitive part of his body be assaulted.

Things took a turn for the better when Flynn leisurely laved the tip of his tongue on the underside of Yuri's dick. Yuri's eyes opened widely as he glanced down at Flynn in surprise, and when he found the blond looking back up at him seductively, he wasn't prepared at all at the sensation of a mouth sucking the tip of his cock past lips. He threw his head back and grabbed fistfuls of Flynn's fair hair, shaky breaths expelling from a wide-open mouth.

Flynn swirled his tongue around the head, getting more of a taste of Yuri. He tried to think about how he liked people blowing him and tried applying it to his own actions. Kissing the slit of the tip. Sliding his tongue flat on the sides, along the length. Sucking and leaving hickeys near the base and even on the balls. Nipping on the balls and using his other hand to stroke the dick. Taking his cock inside his mouth and bobbing his head, carefully taking care not to graze his teeth on the oversensitive skin. Yuri tasted so good on his tongue and felt soft against lips, and coupled with Yuri's screams of encouragement, he couldn't help but plant open-mouthed kisses there.

Yuri was already whining and sobbing when he decided that he had stretched him enough, but he scissored his two fingers one last time just to be sure. He pulled his fingers out and motioned Yuri to climb to a better position and rest his head on a pillow. Once done, he crawled between his long legs and spread them further apart. Lining himself up Yuri's entrance he leaned down to claim his lips first before slowly rubbing the tip of his cock on his hole. Yuri used his heels and pushed Flynn to inch his way in, little by little, withdrawing a bit but pushing back inside further and further as Yuri clenched all around him. The head of his dick was already inside when Yuri let out a sound that was partially a whimper and mostly a gasp. It served to clear Flynn's mind for the moment.

"That... hurts..."

Flynn instantly paled at that. "Oh-oh, shit. Are you okay?" He wrenched open his own eyes and saw Yuri gaze up the ceiling with eyes blown wide before squeezing shut when he moved.

"... fuck...!"

"I'm pulling out-"

"No, no..." he whined, one leg hooking around his waist, but then he let out a yelp of pain.

"Breathe," he commanded, and Yuri obediently heaved in air. "I think we need more lube. I'm pulling out for your sake." Flynn carefully removed himself out and off of Yuri, then retrieved the bottle of lubricant once more.

"I didn't know it'll hurt that much," Yuri confessed, then grabbed the sheets with bloodless fingers in surprise when wet digits prodded at his hole again and wiggled inside. "Flynn..."

"Just... stretching you out a bit more..." He willed his fingers to part and scissor, further loosening him up. Flynn poured more lube to apply onto his dick, with a little more for good measure. He hissed at the pleasure of his own hand, and then pulled out his fingers.

"I'm ready." Yuri parted his legs when his lover finished preparing. "Take me, please."

The blond placed Yuri's legs on his shoulders and angled himself again. "I hope this doesn't hurt." He pushed forward, the head popping inside a little easier than earlier. There were still some clenching around his length, but Yuri wasn't cursing in pain anymore.

Eventually Yuri relaxed, his eyelashes fluttering as he shut and opened his eyes at the sensation of Flynn joined with his body for the first time. He wrapped his arms around Flynn's neck and nosed and kissed the top of his head.

For Flynn, his head buzzed with thoughts of relief and of love. He let his body bend and smother Yuri's body, his elbows drawing closer together as if he were hugging his lover. The warmth of Yuri's arms around his head prompted him to leave spots of blazing kisses his neck and shoulder. He was filled with utmost love as he shifted ever so slightly, pulling out barely and pushing back inside heat.

"You should move," Yuri said. "Just slowly..."

Flynn lifted his body, suddenly so heavy, and kissed Yuri on the mouth. Yuri's arms unwrapped and moved down to caress his muscled arms. Then he withdrew, feeling the air around his cock before driving back inside at a snail's pace, not wanting to hurt Yuri in their joining. Yuri moaned and hummed with every slow stroke of Flynn's dick, encouraging him whenever he sighed gently into the warm air. They fit snugly together like they were made for each other, perfect halves in so many ways more than one, joined as close as they could as being one. Their bodies melded together as they moved to kiss each other, conveying their love to each other with swallowed whimpers.

Minutes of soft kisses and languid thrusting made them both a little more confident in themselves and in each other. Flynn experimentally dragged his length out of Yuri faster and harder but still at a leisurely pace as Yuri lied there and took the sensations of being filled, being empty, and then filled again. Flynn flexed and twisted his hips, silently observing Yuri's movements and reactions. When he made a circular motion, he mewled quietly. When he took his entire dick out and pushed in, his eyes widened and his teeth bit into his lips. When he shifted his hips lower, his back arched and he let out a long and gratified groan of pleasure.

"Look at you," Flynn said, voice low and forced, "making all these beautiful expressions while I'm making love to you."

Yuri's eyes flicked to him, his face red and mouth hanging open.

"You look so good, Yuri." He smirked as his last thrust, harder than the ones before, made him gasp and grab the white sheets, "you're so beautiful, I can't help but admire." He was playing into Yuri's fantasies, and it was a wonder how Yuri managed to make a hungry noise. It was hard to see in the dim moonlight, but he swore the pupils of his eyes were blown wide open. He bent down to whisper right into his waiting ear, "You're mine."

Yuri shivered as hot breath washed over the side of his face. A cry escaped his mouth when Flynn quickened his pace, grunting with every thrust in. He curled his legs up and gasped when the change of angle allowed the length inside him to brush harder against his prostrate. He wrapped his legs around Flynn's waist, heels digging into the small of his back, demanding for more.

And he gave him more.

He abruptly set a rapid pace, drawing sobs and wails out of Yuri's lungs as he was suddenly battling a tidal wave of thrill. Hips slapped obscenely against his fleshy buttocks, cock forcing itself in and out of his tight passage. And just as soon as the punishing tempo of Flynn's thrusts started, he reverted to a more inactive and languid pace. Yuri felt at ease with the slower motions and breathed in accordance to their movements, and when he thought he could fully relax, Flynn started rutting into him hungrily again. The blond ruthlessly alternated between slow and loving movements that felt more like caresses and fast and primal thrusting, leaving Yuri to scream in both pain and pleasure, thrash wildly, and try and meet his thrusts the best he could. He was being split apart by the only one he'd ever loved in his life and he wailed Flynn's name over and over, begging and pleading and cursing.

Flynn's thrusting became wilder and more erratic the more time passed, eventually completely forgoing the much lazier pace in favor of more carnal desire. Fingernails dug and dragged on his back, leaving scratches that might scab in the morning. Yuri's rough grabbing of his skin and hair aroused him more and more, making him pound into him with more force than the last thrust. He eventually surged downward to sink his teeth in the flesh of his shoulder to stifle his own cries. He didn't want any other noise to prevent him from hearing Yuri speak his name like a mantra and moan lewdly.

When Yuri suddenly seized all around him, ass clenching around his cock and limbs crushing his body, Flynn almost reached his peak. He could feel Yuri choke and wail in his pleasure and tense as he spilled on their stomachs. A strangled cry of Flynn's name left Yuri's lips, and it was over; he chased his own summit and reached it with rapid thrusts and the sounds of Yuri saying his name in breathless chants with each harsh push. Distantly, Flynn heard himself groan and pant, focused on his own pleasure and the short breaths against his ear.

They spent the next few moments together, Flynn sprawled boneless on top and still inside of him, while Yuri weakly held on the sweat-damped skin of Flynn's back and kissed tousled hair. Catching their breaths they basked in each other, the blissful spell unbroken even when the blond shifted his body and pressed his ear on the middle of his lover's chest. Flynn swore their hearts were beating almost in sync. Then, Yuri's fingers combed through his hair, rubbing at his scalp the way he always used to do when they were kids, soft and slow, just the way he liked it. He closed his eyes at the aftershocks of pleasure thrumming all over his body, mind, and soul, the afterglow also affecting Yuri in subtle ways like the way he breathed and the quivering of his limbs.

"This feels nice," Flynn muttered as he lazily laced his fingers with Yuri's. "You're so warm and comfortable."

"I'm not your pillow," Yuri said after a short delay. 

"I could get used to this," Flynn chuckled, kissing Yuri's damp chest. 

"The sex or me as your pillow?"

"Hmm... both. Especially the former."

They laughed quietly together, and then spent the next long minutes doing nothing but enjoying each other. Yuri continued his massaging of his lover's head and Flynn listened to the fast-paced heartbeat under his ear.

"I love you," Yuri finally rasped. 

"I love you too."

Yuri's chest swelled as he drew in a deep breath. He stopped rubbing his scalp, but continued tousling his short choppy locks. "Hell of a pounding for my first time. Best birthday gift ever."

"Your birthday was yesterday."

"Still yesterday in some parts of the world."

He chuckled at that reasoning, however untrue it was, then kissed the center of his chest before pushing himself up and pulling out of Yuri's heat. Yuri whined softly when the fullness went away, but didn't complain when Flynn fell beside him like a sack of fruit. He watched yellow lashes move as his eyes closed and opened, his gaze still very glassy even after much of the high had already worn off.

"Don't tell me you're going to sleep now."

"I feel very blissed out and sleepy. Not to mention, tired from all the buzz today. I want to lie down and dream."

"Let's get cleaned up a bit first. A nice shower would honestly be really great."

One blue eye cracked open. "Stay?" Yuri's heart melted like butter when Flynn said that.

"Of course I'll stay."

Flynn smiled widely, and then stood up. It took some rebalancing for him to gain a steady footing. "Do you want to sleep naked with me?" It made Yuri chuckle at least a bit.

"That sounds really weird coming from you."

"I have my fantasies, too, you know." He traipsed over to Yuri's side of the bed, knelt down, and sweetly kissed him. "I want to experience those fantasies too." Flynn left his side, gathering up the scattered pieces of his ceremonial armor and their clothes.

"Like fucking me on the first night of you being Commandant?"

Flynn paused. "Maybe."

"Pervert. Guess we celebrated my birthday and your promotion, but then again... I planned you popping my cherry last night." 

"Oh? Was this the gift you mentioned?"

"Yeah," Yuri yawned, and then motioned to push himself up. "Ow, ow..."

"You okay?" Flynn glanced over his shoulder from the armor stand, urgently putting together his armor on the stand before motioning to stride back to him.

"I'm fine. It's just my first time. Should happen." He winced at the pain as he gingerly stood up. "I can actually feel something down there."

"Don't get come on my sheets."

"We just broke in your new Commandant bed. I'm sure you have a lot more things to worry about than come." He wobbled for the first few steps as he ambled his way to the bathroom. "Just join me when you're done with that."

As Flynn completed his armor, he heard the water splash and flow. He turned to pick up Yuri's free paladin outfit and fold the wrinkled clothes, and once done he opened the window to let some fresh air in, then went to the bathroom, finding Yuri to already in the tub while the water was still filling the tub up. 

"You're not supposed to be in there while it's-"

"Newsflash, Scifo: my ass hurts." He reclined backwards and rested his head on the wall. "It's a chore to stand up."

Flynn made a considerate noise before he glanced over his body. Tooth marks dotted his shoulders and neck, and then guilt washed over him. He could have held off on pursuing so much pleasure. "Sorry."

"About what? These?" He palmed his neck, smirking. "I liked them. Wonder what happens if I show everyone the hickeys."

"Why are you so horrible," he said, yet he simpered. "What scent do you like? Lavender?"

"Lavender's good."

Flynn poured the contents of the lavender soap vial into the tub. "Shampoo?"

"Already chose the one I like here. Come on, I like some company on this fancy bucket." He scooted forward. "Get behind me."

Flynn obliged, dipping his feet on the rising water before finding a way to sit inside without jostling Yuri too much. The warm water immediately began its work, heat seeping into his sore body. His arms snaked around the slender waist in front of him by impulse.

"I love you," he whispered, before kissing the bruised shoulder.

"Yeah. Love you."

Soaking together in warm, soapy water, they exchanged one more chaste kiss before going on to lather their bodies and hair with soap. The water went tepid, and they took it as their cue to leave.

"Oh, you folded my clothes," Yuri noted once he saw the dark fabric on top of the nightstand before seating himself on the bed. "They'd probably look weird tomorrow, though..."

"You can borrow some of my civilian clothes." He towelled off his damp hair, and just after rigorous rubbing his hair was dry. "You need some help?" He didn't really let his lover answer and just rubbed the ends of his long hair in his towel.

Yuri stayed silent, letting him towel his hair dry and resisting the urge to lean back on him. Then he more felt than saw Flynn reach for the nightstand and fish out a comb. "You're sweet," he murmured, his eyes closing as he felt the teeth of the comb rake through his locks from scalp to tip.

"I get a feeling this is one of the only times you'll let me pamper you."

"Mm..."

"Have I ever told you you have beautiful hair?"

"You said you like it, but never 'beautiful'."

"You have beautiful hair." Saying that he twirled a silky lock of hair in his finger and brushed his cheek with it. "Beautiful hair for a beautiful man."

Heaving a sigh, Yuri reached over his shoulder to tweak his nose. "You're praising me too much. Mind if I go sleep now?" He lifted his legs off the floor and slid under the blanket, prompting the other to follow him. Yuri laid on his back whilst Flynn was on his side, shyly wrapping his arm on the former's waist.

"Can I spoon you?"

"Sure." With that he went onto his side and pressed his back flush against his chest. Then, his fingers laced together with the hand sprawled over his body, delighting in Flynn's warm palm. "You happy?"

"Yeah," he breathed out before placing a kiss on the nape in front of him. "Good night, Yuri."

"Night."

When Flynn closed his eyes, he almost instantly entered the most pleasant slumber he had had for his entire life.


	7. Chapter 7

The early morning came with the winter sunshine, the cool wind, and the gentle fall of snow. Flynn awoke to some of the snow being blown into his room, most of them already melted or still melting. The frigid wind chilled his room, and it would have been more cold were it not for the thick blankets and the warmth of a second body huddled up close to his own. He really should stand up and close the window he forgot to shut the previous night, but his eyes were drawn only to the calm face of the man sleeping beside him.

For once, Yuri wasn't sprawled out like he always used to. As children and even when still in the Knights, Yuri wasn't a still sleeper, except when exhausted. But that morning, he was curled up and breathing soundly. With a content smile he carded fingers through dark locks of hair, and then let them slip out of his weak grasp and fall back down. It was a marvel that a man like Yuri had such amazingly lovely hair, that simply touching it was as addictive as a drug. Affection washed over Flynn as he gradually came to wakefulness, noting the small details of his face. It was only the growl of his stomach that pushed him to finally get out of bed, despite the temptation to just stay with Yuri and wait until he himself awoke from peaceful sleep.

He kissed his forehead lightly with a murmur of his love for him, then carefully crawled out of his bed to dress himself with a plain dress shirt and pants, enough to look presentable but yet not in work mode. Then, after quickly grooming himself in the bathroom, he emerged out of his room through the door leading straight into the hallway outside and went to the dining hall to procure breakfast for himself and his still-sleeping boyfriend.

When he returned to his room, Yuri was was already sitting up and rubbing his eyes. The blanket covered his waist down. The bruises and bite marks all over his shoulders and arms and torso were on full display, and Flynn couldn't help but think, _I did those._

"Morning, my moonlight," he greeted as he pushed the cart in and shut the door.

Yuri groggily glanced towards Flynn. "Mmm. I like that nickname, sunshine."

"My hair _is_ sunny yellow."

"Exactly." He chuckled to himself for a second. "What's that, sunshine?"

"Breakfast. I got us some milk and honey. There's also a baked potato with cheese. Also got some leftover cake from last night." He removed the lid off the platters, revealing a modest amount of food. He then pulled out a folding table from the lower part of the cart and set it on the bed.

"Eating on the bed? Nice." Yuri watched him place the platters on the tiny table. "You know, I should get used to this, with me being your boyfriend. Soft bed. Nice food. Food on the bed. You know, things fit for a king."

Flynn sat beside Yuri on the bed and gingerly kissed him. "Yeah. You should. Then we'll get married-"

A boop to the nose. "You're really getting ahead of yourself there."

"I'm just saying." He earned another flick, this time a little more painful.

"We're literally on the first day of our relationship and you're already thinking about marriage."

"I was already thinking about marrying you since confessing. In fact, I've already thought of some of the decorations. Would you like purple asters? Tulips? How about we hunt in Erealumen for rare quartzflower?"

Yuri rolled his eyes as he bit some of the leftover cake, but his cheeks glowed in a little blush. "You really think about me all the time, don't you?"

"Of course. I love you." They shared a small kiss before Flynn hurried to his closet. "By the way. You can borrow my clothes here."

Yuri caught the simple dress shirt and trousers thrown at him, and quickly put on the shirt, but still not buttoning the panels together. "Reminds me; did I ever return the clothes I borrowed on the ship to Torim?"

"No, actually." Flynn waved it off and took up his position beside Yuri to start breakfast with him. "Do you still have them?"

A cheeky nod. "I'll return those with these," he said while gesturing towards the shirt on his shoulders.

"No, no. We're boyfriends now. What's mine can be yours."

"Even the underwear?" The smirk on his lips was beyond suggestive, causing Flynn to sigh heavily.

"Yes."

Mirthful laughter erupted from the other man, much to his chagrin.

"It's too early to be so dirty-minded, Yuri."

"Too early? Flynn, you just _deflowered_ me last night. I can't help but still think about it ten minutes after I wake up, thank you very much."

Flynn groaned. "Yuri-"

"I still _feel_ how full it was."

_And I still vividly remember how tight you were._ "Okay, how about a change of topics." Flynn dug into his baked potato with his fork and tried to ignore the stirring arousal between his legs. "Something more pure and innocent, because I might just put off breakfast and fuck you senseless again." He immediately chowed down the hefty piece of potato before quickly stuffing his mouth again, suddenly acutely aware of the growing heat in the room.

Yuri put down his fork and gave him a thin, sexy smile as he pushed the dress shirt off his shoulders and off his body and presented his bruised and hickeyed neck. "I'd really, _really_ like that." 

His enticing throat called out to Flynn, making the latter gulp down the piece of potato in his mouth. _Breathe in, breathe out._ Flynn inhaled and exhaled audibly. "One of your fantasies? Morning after?" He managed to ask, even if his voice had tremors.

"Yeah."

The blond wordlessly stood up, took put the platters and utensils back on the cart, folded the table, placed the table at the side of the bed, and then, as if something snapped in him, attacked Yuri's throat with suckling kisses, making the latter giggle as he tumbled back onto the bed. His tongue laved against his throat and his mouth nipped at his jaw, adding even more lovebites on him.

"You're- _mmh_ , you're really feral for me, a-aren't you?"

Flynn paused in his ministrations to lift his head up. "I remember it as you being the one who wanted this."

"You're the one who's really eager- oh." He moaned aloud when a hand suddenly encased his hardness, squeezing a little. "Come on. Last night you were very sweet and caring. Show me how rough you can be."

"Your mood is swinging quite wildly, Yuri Lowell."

"Hey, I just want to know how it feels to be loved and also to be roughly fucked."

"I promise, you won't be able to walk today," Flynn growled, and then roughly flipped Yuri over on his stomach and pulled his ass up in the air by the hips. "I hope you're ready for this."

"I've been ready for seven years." He looked to the side to find the bottle of lube from last night snatched from the nightstand. Anticipating wet fingers to plunge into him already, he wiggled his hips to entice his lover, only to be met with no noise of the bottle cap being twisted open, only the rustle of sheets as the blond changed his position. When he was about to complain and urge him to hurry up so they could finally finish breakfast, he was rewarded with a sudden and sharp pain on his right ass cheek. The pain somehow translated into pleasure when he recognized it as teeth bearing down on his flesh.

Flynn bit him hard, only releasing once he decided it would leave some bruises. He suckled on the skin and left a trail of saliva over the marks, before switching to the other side and leaving another bruising bite there. He continued to the hips, and even up the back and shoulder blades. All the while Yuri was screaming and mewling and shaking and squirming.

"How do you like that?" Flynn said, voice rough and husky.

"I had _no_ idea you would be a bitey one. What's next? Rimming?"

He snickered as he descended, head level with his ass. His thumbs parted the flesh to further expose Yuri's entrance, still looking a sore red from their romp the past night. "Oh yes." 

Yuri wasn't able to respond to that before he felt chapped skin make contact with his hole. Then he let out a breathless scream as slimy wetness slid over his hole. He yelped and squirmed more as Flynn greedily ate his ass out, as Flynn was feeling Yuri's ass tighten on his tongue. Hands mostly kept the writhing to a minimum, but feeling the other man so excited and eager for more sensation was downright intoxicating. He continued swirling his tongue around in random shapes, and when he got bold enough he pushed in. Yuri moaned loudly as the wet appendage slipped in and out, and even louder when fingers gently stroked his shaft. Yuri almost instantly climaxed, breathless, when Flynn thumbed the slit. Dimly he noted some of the white fluid had spilled all over the hand still playing with his length and onto the bedsheets, but he could no longer entertain telling Flynn off about the sheets when come-covered fingers abruptly entered him, his passage still loose from the previous night. Flynn momentarily pulled out before getting more lube on it, then plunged back in to roughly stretch him wide open.

"Flynn. D-do you," he gasped when he felt the tips repeatedly assault his prostate and he couldn't continue his sentence in the utter pleasure of it. "Y-you... like torturing m-me like this...?"

"This was your idea," Flynn responded languidly, a stark contrast to the brutal pace of his fingers drilling into his passage over and over. He pulled them out when Yuri screamed into the pillow for his second orgasm, so close after the first. He whined in oversensitivity and the loss of the fullness inside of him, his knees like jelly, his legs buckling under his weight, his lungs pleading for more air. 

"Your sheets have... come on them... y'know..."

"I can have them washed anyway," Flynn dismissed as he lined up his cock on Yuri's puffy hole, slapping flesh for good measure. "I think I like the entire world knowing just what I love doing to you."

Yuri snickered and shook his hips, enticing and also demanding. "Take me."

Flynn obeyed, sinking all of himself inside with a sob escaping his lips. He dug his nails into his hips as he felt the walls clench snug all around his length, trying to suppress the want to start pumping there and then even though they agreed on being rough. Opening his eyes, he ogled the body squirming under him. Hands fisting the sheets. Dark hair over to the shoulder, spilling onto white sheets beautifully. A very vulnerable back, studded with his recent marks of teeth. Not enough marks on there. He decided to rectify that by leaning down and biting down on Yuri's nape as hard as he did on his ass. 

Yuri screamed. 

His cock twitched at that sensual and resounding shout, and so he withdrew and pushed back in with a sharp thrust. Yuri was definitely shrieking much, much louder than the night before, grabbing the fabric of the bed and the edges of the pillows. His hands flew everywhere on the mattress as Flynn fucked him, fueled by his mewls and cries that were muffled by the mattress. Yuri's weakened legs folded, changing the angle and causing him to squall at the pleasure of the cock driving in and out and gliding on his prostate mercilessly. Flynn finally let go of Yuri's nape, soothing the bite with the wetness of his tongue and then tasting a coppery flavor, surprised that he had in fact wounded Yuri. Concern crashed all over him for but a single second, getting shelved in favor of hearing his lover whimper below him and feeling flesh constrict rhythmically around his shaft. His already punishing pace grew faster and faster, until Yuri orgasmed for the third time, toes and fists curling and tears streaming out of his eyes. Soon after, Flynn reached his own peak with his own grunt, bottoming out one last time.

They collapsed on the bed, catching their breaths in shallow inhales. Sweaty skin stuck to each other. Flynn's arms sprawled over and around Yuri in a tender embrace while the latter sank further. It took a few minutes for them to cool down and untangle, lightly laughing together. 

"I... think I'm gonna pass out," Yuri said, weakly pushing himself up to retrieve the borrowed shirt under him. "Ah... it hurts." The tears flowed out of his eyes in a sort of ecstatic ache. Flynn shakily reached out to touch and rub a shoulder and creep his way up to Yuri's face so he could wipe those tears away.

"Sorry."

"It's fine... really. I asked for it and you gave it to me. Thanks." His gratitude baffled Flynn, but his mind was still clouded with the rush and his body felt droopy.

"I just don't want to hurt you," he voiced out softly.

"Again... I asked for you to hurt me. Don't get so worked up... okay?" The shirt in his hand was raised up briefly. "Think about this... your shirt's wrinkled."

"I'll just... get another one. Do... you want to eat breakfast now?"

"Yeah, sure. Just... help me up. I think I can't sit... or stand today. Your fault."

Flynn snorted. "Yeah."

/**/

Estelle rushed into the dining hall, head hung down and hands fisted on her skirt. Her face was as red as an apple and her teeth were biting her lips. She hurriedly walked to the table where her friends and a dog were already dining happily on the breakfast prepared by the royal cook.

"Good morning, Estelle," Judith greeted warmly.

"Hey, Estelle!" Karol beamed once the princess hastily took her seat on the table. "Just wanna say thanks to you for letting us stay here for the night!"

"Y-yes. You're very welcome, Karol!" Her voice was pitched higher than usual, and, combined with her red face, it wasn't lost on the group.

"You look like a boiled crab, Estelle!" Patty remarked. "A boiled crab with raw salmon on top!"

"Are you alright, kid? Fever?" Raven motioned to touch the Princess' head, but didn't find it too hot. 

Rita, still too groggy and drowsy to be angry at Raven for beating her to checking her temperature, just asked, "Do you know if anyone was sick last night?"

"No, guys, I'm fine! Don't worry."

"So what happened?" Patty asked, only to make Estelle redden more. When Estelle's blush darkened further, everyone in the group had the irrational fear that her pink hair might actually turn blood red if she kept it up. Rita was the first to jump to conclusions, whipping out her scarf and prototype mana blastia, ready to fry.

"Did anyone hurt you? I swear, if anyone did, point me to them and I'll cook them-"

"No, I wasn't hurt! I'm okay, Rita. Don't worry." She tugged on the hem of Rita's shirt to seat her back down. "I... I passed by Flynn's new room an hour ago..."

Everyone leaned in.

"I... I had to go back to my room and read a book..."

"Okay...?" Karol raised a brow, complete confusion painted all over his face. "What's up with Flynn's new room? Why did you go to read a book?"

The princess twiddled her thumbs and had to breathe in to say the next words she must say. "I... I heard Flynn and Yuri boinking..."

Instantly the entire group reacted. Raven and Judith shared a glance before bursting into laughter, Patty grinned to herself, Karol paled, and Rita groaned into her hands.

"Wait!" Karol flailed about, staring wide-eyed at his friends. "Flynn and Yuri are... what's 'boinking'?!"

"Dating," Rita grumbled. "They're finally dating. And they're, ugh, you know." She made an 'o' with one hand and repeatedly thrust a finger inside the hole, before collapsing on her arms on top of the table and mumbling something about why she did that obscene gesture. When Karol still expressed his utter bewilderment, Raven took a cherry from the top of the slice of leftover cake, placed it on the table (but not before laying a leaf of tissue on the table), and smashed it with a fist. The poor cherry was crushed.

And in a single moment, Brave Vesperia's guild boss was then hit with a plethora of realizations with the force of a battleship. A very powerful battleship. "Oh my god! So that's why Flynn was looking for flowers the other week!"

"And also the reason why Yuri has buttoned his shirt more than ever," Judith added. 

"I _thought_ it was because it was getting colder-!" Karol was interrupted by Raven tapping on his shoulder and then pointing to the door as two men entered the dining hall.

"Huh," Rita said as she peeked up over her elbow, "speak of the devil. Or devils."

Flynn was radiating a kind of shine that made him seem high. Hanging onto his shoulder was Yuri, limping quite badly but also giving off the same radiance his now-apparent lover was exuding. The obviousness of their new relationship was so strong, anyone who couldn't tell would have to consciously ignore it. If Yuri's difficulty with walking wasn't a dead giveaway, the happy grins slapped on their faces would be. And it those still weren't, the tiny kiss Flynn did was. And if that kiss wasn't already damning, the way Yuri licked his lover's cheek as an answer should be. Every single thing about them, like the similar clothes they wore and the looks they gave each other, was definitely much more intimate and familiar than the friendly closeness they used to have before. 

The band of friends sitting around the table watched in amusement (except for Rita, who was scowling, and Karol, who just wanted to not look at them) as the two now-boyfriends shamelessly displayed their affection for each other in public. Even Flynn didn't seem to care that some of his knights were observing them, undeniably thinking about how bold and audacious their new Commandant was and perhaps also about how, in hindsight, they really should have expected the infamous Yuri Lowell as the one who nabbed his heart.

And maybe also about how brutal their new Commandant must be in bed for Yuri to grimace with every step.

"Hey guys," Yuri waved, trudging to occupy a chair in the table and wincing as he sat with assistance from his lover. The others in the table met the greeting with their own hello.

"Enjoyed last night, Commandant?" Raven teased.

"Yes," came Flynn's enthusiasticanswer, "and I enjoyed my morning too."

The old man's jaw fell to the ground. "My scruffy beard, really? You're just gonna _say_ that to us?"

"Of course." Flynn flashed him a smirk much better suited for Yuri's visage. Perhaps all that kissing made him gain some things about Yuri's face. "Everyone, meet my new sweetheart, Yuri."

"Flynn, don't call me 'sweetheart'." He smacked his on the shoulder, his face glowing pink as he smiled widely. Flynn retaliated by nuzzling his cheek.

"Oh, no no. I said I'm going to tell everyone and they will also suffer of the pet names."

Karol abruptly stood up, plate in his hands. "I'm, uh. Gonna get some more potato. A-and some. Sauce. I think the lasagna, too. Uh. Yeah. Be right back, guys."

"Lemme come with you." Rita followed, pushing her chair back and taking her plate, too. Uncharacteristically of her, she scurried away with Karol. Once they were out of earshot, the table turned all their attentions to the new couple, still playing and teasing with each other like teenagers in love. A glance was shared by Judith and Raven. Patty chuckled to herself, somewhat reminded of a few times in her old crew. Estelle's face was losing its pink tint, but traces of it it definitely still remained.

"... sweetie pie-"

"Flynn, stop that-!"

"Cheesycake."

"It isn't really a surprise you two got together," Patty piped up, effectively interrupting the two lovers' banter. "Everyone guessed on it. We just waited like fishermen on a riverbank, hunting for the rarest catch."

"It isn't?" Yuri said.

"Well, yeah," Raven replied, "we already felt the strong _sexual_ tension between ya-"

"Let's just say... we all found you making out in Aurnion before we went to Tarqaron," Judith drawled lazily, head cocked to the side. Both men blanched at her revelation. 

"Wait, you were spying on us that night," Yuri muttered.

"Only a mussel would be fooled to think you didn't like each other," Patty pointed out rather succinctly, temporarily losing her childlike mask. "And don't dare tell me I couldn't see it, Yuri dear! You've always had the same sparkle in yer eyes as when my crew would like each other whenever you saw Flynn!"

"Huh... guess I was a little more apparent than I thought."

The pirate nodded. "Aye. You aren't fooling me trained eye."

"You two were just made for each other, aren't you?" Estelle smiled her sweetest smile, hands clasped under her chin. "I'm glad you two are together. Congratulations!"

"Estelle, you're making it sound like we just got married," Yuri said.

"I mean... when _is_ the wedding?"

"My goodness, you and Flynn are both excited for the wedding already."

The blond shrugged. "I do want to marry you, but we should probably spend a little more time."

"You do know who to call when you do decide to get married," Judith gestured to everyone one the table and also over to a faraway table where Rita and Karol took refuge in.

"I'll be the planner!" The princess exclaimed quite avidly. "Judy and Rita and Patty, you'll be the brides- oh, um, groomsmaids."

Flynn guffawed. "Groomsmaid."

"Unless we make Yuri wear a gown. That'll make him a beautiful bride," Raven jested, but then Flynn fell silent, pondering on the mental image seriously. A white veil, trimmed with gold and fastened by a tiara made of flowers. A lacy white puffy gown, simple in design but sparkling in glitter, his shoulders exposed and a necklace depicting a star resting atop his collarbone. Gloved hands holding a bouquet of paper flowers. He would be waiting at the altar, the young Emperor behind him as the officiator of the wedding. He would be watching the love of his life walk down the aisle slowly and he would be fighting the forces in his soul that threatened to make him faint at his shimmering and elegant allure.

Flynn sighed dreamily. "Yuri in a dress... I think I'd love to see that."

"You. Are. _Not._ Putting me in a dress. For my wedding."


End file.
